An Ace In The Hole
by aadixon
Summary: Harry Potter was never raised by the Dursleys. Instead, he was raised under the watchful eye and tutelage of his mother's half-sister, Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel. When Harry finally returns to Wizarding world, he isn't quite what everyone is expecting.; AU; Dark Harry, Hermione, Luna, The Joker, Harley
1. Surely You Jest

**An Ace In The Hole**

 _See Disclaimer In Profile..._

 **Chapter One: Surely You Jest**

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk in the Headmaster's Office looking wearily at a report from Mad-Eye Moody. He had already read through the report as many as ten times, yet his brilliant mind simply could not comprehend what he was reading. At long last, the mysterious disappearance of the Boy-Who-Lived was solved; however the findings were quite disturbing. He pulled hard at his beard with both hands as though the infliction of pain might help it all make sense. A knock at the office door dragged him back from the distant wanderings of his mind.

"You may enter, Minerva." called Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall entered the office looking concerned at the mood and demeanor of Dumbledore.

"You summoned me, Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Yes Minerva," sighed Dumbledore "it seems that we have, at long last, located Harry Potter."

"You don't seem happy, Albus. What's wrong?" asked Professor McGonagall, taking a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"According to Mad-Eye, Harry Potter was taken directly after Voldemort's attack by his mother's sister." said Dumbledore heavily.

"That's impossible!" exclaimed McGonagall. "The Dursleys couldn't have taken him! You said they had no idea of the Potter's demise until you confronted them about Harry's disappearance!"

"No Minerva, Petunia never saw her nephew." said Dumbledore calmly. "It seems that Lily Potter had another sister; a sister that she had just become acquainted with right before entering into hiding."

"Who is this person and where have they been keeping Harry Potter all these years?" asked McGonagall, her brow furrowed.

"Her name is Dr Harleen Frances Quinzel; half sister of Lily and Petunia Evans." replied Dumbledore. "Apparently, their father had an affair with an American Muggle tourist and this Dr Quinzel was the result."

"You say she became a Muggle doctor?" asked McGonagall. "That doesn't sound so awful."

"If that was where the report ended it wouldn't." sighed Dumbledore. "However, it says she was a Muggle psychiatrist in the States before becoming deemed mentally unstable herself."

"Mentally unstable?" repeated McGonagall.

"The Muggles committed her to the hospital in which she worked before she escaped." continued Dumbledore. "During some of her questionable activities she visited Britain in search of her father. While she was here she discovered her sisters, though only Lily accepted her. It was during one of her visits that Voldemort found the Potters and attacked, killing all but Harry. Dr Quinzel found Harry in his crib shortly after the attack and fled with her nephew to the States."

"So Harry Potter is in the States?" asked McGonagall. "When will you attempt to contact him or have you already?"

"Alas, if it was just so easy, Minerva." replied Dumbledore. "Simply sending an owl would, I'm afraid, reveal our world to some highly unsavory and dangerous Muggles."

"So what will you do?" asked McGonagall.

"I've done the only thing that I feel is safe." replied Dumbledore.

* * *

The high contrast of the moon and the lights of the city against the rising steam from the buildings in the dead of night was casting many shadows along the streets below. High above the city streets, another shadow was moving very fast; leaping from building to building. The figure that was casting the shadow was breathing very hard as he leapt and darted; avoiding the city life below. His long raven hair blew behind him as he ran with purpose; the purpose was not to receive a thrashing from his mentor and boss for being late. Just as he was reaching the end of his run something hit his feet, causing him to stumble and fall.

"Where you going in such a hurry kid?" asked a figure stepping out from the shadows.

He pushed himself back to his feet quickly, wiping some blood from his chin as he looked around to survey the newcomer.

"Go away little bird – before I pluck you and stuff you." said the raven haired boy. "I have no time for you tonight."

The raven haired boy stood and backed away from the newcomer, approaching the edge of the building. He spread his arms wide, as though about to take flight.

"And the name's not kid," said the raven haired boy "it's Ace!"

The boy leaned backwards and gracefully fell off the roof of the fifteen story building. The newcomer ran to the edge of the building and looked over, but the boy called Ace was gone.

"Gotta figure out how he does that!" murmured Robin as he pounded his fist on the ledge.

Nearly two blocks away the boy called Ace laughed to himself as he peered out of an alley, looking for signs of trouble before continuing his journey.

"Impressive." growled an unfamiliar voice behind Ace.

He turned to see the strangest sight he had ever laid his eyes upon and that was saying something! Men, wearing cloaks and carrying sticks stepped out of seemingly nowhere. Their leader was a grizzly sight, wearing some sort of blue electronic eye. Ace knew that whomever they were, they were serious.

"So what else have you mastered already?" asked the grizzly man.

"It will take more than sticks for me to tell." replied Ace, a sadistic smile curling his face.

"We've come to take you home." said a ragged looking man in a worn looking cloak.

"Sorry." said Ace. "I never go for rides with strangers."

The cloaked men sighed and the grizzly looking man shook his head.

"Why so serious, gentlemen?" asked Ace sadistically. "Put down your sticks and I'll put a smile on your faces, I promise."

The grizzly man smiled and pointed his stick in Ace's direction.

"It's called a wand, _boy_ , and this will put a smile on my face!" growled the grizzly man. " _Stupefy_!"

Ace barely caught a glimpse of the red light that exploded from the stick in the man's hand before his head struck the wall behind him and all went black.

* * *

Ace awoke – or did he. He squinted his eyes then blinked them rapidly, trying to focus on what he was seeing. His brain was telling him that he had hit his head way too hard this time or he was finally losing his grip on reality. A bird that looked as though it was glowing red, sat perched at the foot of the bed that he was laying in. The bird simply stared at him as though he was as odd to it as it was to him. The room that he laid in was not like any place he'd been before. Then, he remembered the bright red light from the man's stick and attempted to sit up. This was a mistake as his head suddenly felt as though it might split in two.

"Lie back down, Ace." said a tall man with a long white beard and long white hair as he strolled into the room.

Ace immediately reached for his short knife, but it wasn't in his pocket.

"Looking for these?" asked the white haired man, opening his hand to reveal Ace's three silver knives. "I'm quite sure that you could ' _carve a smile on my face_ ' before I even had the chance to speak if I gave them back to you – so I won't."

The man closed his hand then opened it again and the three knives were gone.

"Who are you and how did you do that?" asked Ace.

"My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, but you can call me Professor Dumbledore. And how I did that was magic. The same type of magic you used atop that building."

"So you're a magician?" asked Ace.

"A wizard – to be precise." replied Dumbledore. "Just like you, only with training and experience."

"Where am I?" asked Ace, glancing around.

"London." replied Dumbledore.

"ENGLAND!" shouted Ace.

"Correct." said Dumbledore calmly.

"Seems a little useless to threaten you." said Ace, not caring for the power this man seemed to possess over him at the moment.

"Wise assumption – Ace." chuckled Dumbledore, taking a seat on the bed.

"My real name's Harry – Harry Quinn, but I'm sure you know that." said Harry, aka Ace.

"That is partially correct." said Dumbledore. "Your real name is Harry James Potter. Your aunt, Harley Quinn, gave you her last name – of sorts – after your mother and father died."

"Yeah." snorted Harry. "My aunt Harley told me. They were killed by some maniac from here."

"That is true, Ace – I mean Harry." said Dumbledore. "They died saving you."

"So why bring me here now?" asked Harry. "Going to teach me some magic tricks?"

"Something like that." replied Dumbledore. "You have just celebrated your twelfth birthday and are already a year behind in your learning."

"I have all the learning I need." said Harry darkly. "What is it you would teach me?"

"To be a wizard and follow your parent's footsteps by attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." replied Dumbledore. "My only request would be that you do not converse with your aunt while you are there."

"Does she know where I am?" asked Harry.

"Do you think that Mr J, as you call him, would be happy if she did?" asked Dumbledore.

A sadistic smile curled Harry's lips as he pondered the fact that this so called wizard had reluctant feelings about Mr J knowing where he was. He had no intentions of attending this Hogwarts and yet he wondered if the place had anything that might be of value to Mr J. The thought of allowing the opportunity to pass him by without checking first was too much for him to even dare consider.

"So this – Hogwarts; it's a school of some kind?" asked Harry, curious to find out more.

"Yes." replied Dumbledore. "It was founded over a thousand years ago by the greatest witches and wizards of the day."

Harry saw the pride that this statement brought the old man and realized that he must be very highly involved in this school. He didn't even question the existence of magic, like others might in his stead. He knew that the things he did weren't normal and after a nasty run in with a beautiful woman named Zatana, he knew that magic was very real.

"So, are you some sort of professor at this school?" asked Harry, knowing the answer.

"Yes Harry, I am." replied Dumbledore. "My official duty for a while now has been Headmaster."

The head man himself had come to deal with him. This made Harry even more curious than before about his parents past and this school they had attended. ' _Was there something very important about him attending this school or was the Headmaster here to evaluate the dangers of allowing him in_ ', pondered Harry. He decided to find out.

"Uh, Professor," began Harry, attempting to sound respectful "I don't suppose that you take the time from your busy schedule to meet with every student, so why me?"

"I'm sure as you well know, Harry, your situation is unique." replied Dumbledore, a slight smile curling his face. "You can imagine that we do not send groups of trained wizards to bring every student here. Besides, I know about your past and current life so let's not play games. It will speed along the process."

"Fair enough." replied Harry. "So why am I so important? I was happy right where I was so why not just leave me be? "

"Were you happy, Harry?" asked Dumbledore softly. "I know that Harley was loving to you but what about Mr J?"

"Mr J taught me what I needed to know to survive." snapped Harry. "He cares for me but I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand."

"What did he teach you besides a hundred ways to carve up a man?" asked Dumbledore.

"We're both freaks, him and I." spat Harry. "The world doesn't accept people like us. They just want to pretend that we never existed and throw us away into forgotten places. My aunt realized that years before I ever came to live with them. She helped Mr J escape those that would have people like us put away for the sake of feeling normal." A smile curved his lips. "They cannot pretend that all is well as long as we're around."

"In time, you may see things differently." said Dumbledore gently. "I can introduce you to a world that will accept you for who you really are. Our world is kept secret from the world you have lived in. In our world, magic is common, and you are famous."

"Famous?" asked Harry, looking hard at Dumbledore. "What have I ever done to be famous?"

"You survived." replied Dumbledore simply. "You survived the darkest of magic and was left with just that scar on your forehead."

"So... _it is_ a sign of power." said Harry and Dumbledore looked at him strangely. "Mr J has always called it my 'sign of power'."

"That scar marks the end of some very dark times in our world," said Dumbledore solemnly "but it also marks the tragic death of two very wonderful people that made the ultimate sacrifice. They sacrificed their lives so that you might live."

"So this maniac that tried to kill me... did he die?" asked Harry.

"Alas, no." replied Dumbledore. "He lost all his power, but he did not die. No one knows where he is now, but I'm sure that he is still out there waiting for his chance to regain his powers. When he does, I'm afraid, he will seek to finish what he started."

"I presume that you are a very powerful wizard yourself if you are the head of this Hogwarts." stated Harry.

"You are correct, Harry." said Dumbledore modestly.

"Then I should also presume that you can protect me while I learn the ways of a wizard." said Harry.

"That is also correct." said Dumbledore. "You need not fear Lord Voldemort while you are in my care. So, should I presume that you are going to attend Hogwarts this year? We cannot force you to attend. You can return to your aunt's care if you wish."

For the first time since he had met this man, Harry did not believe him. He could never imagine Mr J divulging information to someone then just letting them walk away. No – he knew that he was trapped and failure to comply could result in some nasty consequences. Besides, Mr J had taught him not to attempt to escape, but rather escape would come to him; he just had to be patient. In the mean time, it would provide him a grand opportunity to case this 'Hogwarts'.

"So, is that your bird?" asked Harry, attempting to divert the subject.

"Yes." replied Dumbledore. "His name is Fawkes and he is a phoenix. They are very rare and have many special gifts. They are very loyal, live for hundreds of years, can lift immensely heavy loads, and their tears have healing powers." Dumbledore turned a heated gaze to Harry and stared over his half moon spectacles. "Now, will you attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year?"

"Why not." replied Harry. "Sounds like a real blast and maybe one day I can repay old grizzly for the headache."

"Old grizzly," chuckled Dumbledore "is Alastor Moody; a very accomplished and skilled Auror, or dark wizard hunter."

Harry smiled sadistically at this. Not only had the head man greeted him, but they had sent the best to capture him. The idea that he made them nervous delighted him. ' _What kind of powder puff world was he about to enter_ ', mused Harry.

"So, when does school begin and how do I get there?" asked Harry.

"Start of term is in two weeks." replied Dumbledore. "I will accompany you to collect your supplies and you can stay in the Leaky Cauldron until it's time to go to Hogwarts. I will arrange for Professor Flitwick to come and tutor you so that you won't be quite so far behind your peers. You will take the Hogwarts Express on September 1st to the school along with the rest of the students. I will escort you to the train that morning."

"Didn't understand much of what you just said, but I haven't got any money for supplies." said Harry. "Your gang didn't offer me the option to pack."

"Your parents left you plenty of money, Harry." said Dumbledore. "First, we will visit Gringotts, the wizard bank, before we collect your supplies. I dare say that Diagon Alley is open for business by now."

Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that it was morning. It must have taken them a long time to get here or he must have been out for a while. Even though all of his faculties hadn't returned to him just yet, the idea of casing out a bank made him eager to get going.

"So, when do we get started?" asked Harry casually.

"No time like the present, Harry." replied Dumbledore. "That is, if you feel up to it."

"I can walk." said Harry, standing to his feet.

"That won't be necessary." said Dumbledore, who grasped Harry by the arm before twisting on the spot.

* * *

"I don't understand where he is!" exclaimed Harley Quinn, pacing in circles. "I've scoured the entire city, yet there's no sign of him!"

Mr. J sat in his usual chair, licking his lips in what was his habitual fashion while stroking his chin with his left hand and staring intensely at the only door in the room. His gaze was so intense that Harley made sure not to pace in front of him.

"Mr. J, what will we do?" asked Harley, finally daring to address him directly.

Mr. J turned his gaze to Harley, contemplating hard about something before speaking. Harley was now wishing that she hadn't uttered a word.

"Tis true, my dear." replied Mr. J. "It seems that our young Harry has vanished, _like magic_."

He rose to his feet, straightened his jacket, then strolled over to where Harley stood, frozen in awe and fear of the man before her.

" _Like magic_ ," growled Mr. J "someone knows the secret behind the trick. Oh, someone in this city knows what happened to Harry and I'm gonna find 'em. Cause nobody takes away what belongs to me!"

* * *

Harry felt as though Grodd had decided to give him a hug. He felt all the air squeezed out of his body and just when he thought death was near, the compressing feeling was gone. When he opened his eyes he was standing in a very grubby tavern. It was empty, except for an elderly bartender. He stumbled slightly as Dumbledore let go of his arm.

"Very good, Harry." said Dumbledore. "Most people vomit the first time they travel side along apparition."

"You and Zatana would get along quite nicely I think." growled Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore," said the bartender "what brings you here?"

"I have business today, Tom, in Diagon Alley." replied Dumbledore.

The bartender bowed his head then turned his gaze to Harry. He stared for a moment before gasping and placing a hand over his mouth.

"Bless my soul, you must be Harry Potter." said the bartender breathlessly.

"Harry Quinn, to be exact." said Harry with a nod. "I don't go by Potter."

The bartender looked as though he wanted to argue, but thought better of it as he took in the manic look on Harry's face.

"Well, off to Diagon Alley." said Dumbledore, ushering Harry towards the back of the tavern.

They reached a brick wall and Dumbledore touched one of the bricks, causing the wall to slowly open into a doorway which led onto a cobbled street. As they stepped through the doorway, hundreds of shops and buildings popped into view. The Alley did not look normal, but he had already succumb to the idea that nothing he would see or hear would be normal. They walked down the middle of the street, as they were the only ones there, until they came to a large white corner building with large white pillars. The huge double door swung open at their approach and Harry looked up to see a warning posted in silver over the door.

' _Enter, stranger, but take heed_

 _Of what awaits the sin of greed_

 _For those who take, but do not earn,_

 _Must pay most dearly in their turn._

 _So if you seek beneath our floors_

 _A treasure that was never yours,_

 _Thief, you have been warned, beware_

 _Of finding more than treasure there.'_

"That's an inviting gesture." said Harry with a smirk.

"I'd remember what it says if I were you, Harry." said Dumbledore. "It's not wise to steal from goblins."

"What's a –" began Harry, but was cut off by the sight before him.

Hundreds of short, ugly creatures with large heads, round eyes, pointed teeth, and long fingers were bustling about the bank in suits. Harry thought that these creatures looked anything but friendly and a good choice to guard a bank. He followed Dumbledore up to a teller window where a nasty looking goblin sat perched on a stool and writing in a large ledger. Regardless of the plaque above the door or the goblins within, Harry still was doing his best to casually case the place.

"We would like to visit vault 687." said Dumbledore to the goblin.

"I suppose that you have the key." said the goblin in a croaked voice.

"Of course, master goblin." replied Dumbledore, handing a small gold key to the goblin.

The goblin eyed Dumbledore and Harry could tell that the goblin no more believed his polite tone than Harry did. The goblin slid off the stool then rounded the wall and motioned for them to follow him. They were led to a small corridor before the goblin passed the key to another goblin and said something to him in a strange language.

"Griphook here will escort you to your vault." said the goblin. "I have other things to attend to. Good day."

"Follow me." croaked Griphook, as he motioned them down the corridor.

Harry did not like the size of this bank and was beginning to realize how hard it would be to escape this bank should you break in. The goblin led them to a rail car and motioned for them to get in. Dumbledore quickly hopped in and Harry reluctantly followed. The tiny rail car sped off down what reminded Harry of a roller-coaster as it quickly sped over hills and around corners. As quickly as it had began, the ride was over. Harry hopped out of the cart followed by Dumbledore. The goblin pressed a finger to a door that quickly chimed with metallic clicks before opening to reveal a small fortune of gold sitting upon a table. Harry quickly wondered what its street value was. Dumbledore scooped a small amount into a bag then they left the vault without barely a word spoken. When they exited the bank, Harry wondered why the old wizard had suddenly become quite.

"A goblin can spot a thief, Harry." said Dumbledore. "They are trained to detect those that are not trustworthy."

"So why did the one goblin in there act as though he didn't trust you, Professor Dumbledore?" asked Harry as innocently as he could.

"He wasn't concerned about me, Harry." replied Dumbledore, glancing down at him.

"Oh, but I disagree." said Harry. "He was looking at you the same way Bats looks at Mr J."

"I believe that was because I had brought you into their presence." said Dumbledore.

"Maybe, but not to worry." said Harry, smiling up at Dumbledore. "I won't be bumping off that bank any time soon."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry, though his eyes told Harry that the old wizard wasn't sure he believed his young companion. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they headed on to shop for his supplies. The shopping trip, as a whole, was quite boring until they reached Ollivander's Wand Shop.

The moment Harry met Mr. Ollivander, he was intrigued. The old wizard had a demeanor about him that almost called to Harry.

"Well now, Harry Potter has come at last." said Mr. Ollivander.

"Call me Harry Potter if you will, Mr. Ollivander, but my name is Harry Quinn." replied Harry.

Ollivander glanced up at Dumbledore before he replied, "Very well, Harry Quinn. Shall we begin?"

~0~

Two weeks later, a very irritated Harry awoke to the screeching of his new owl, Hedwig. Harry chucked a pillow at the snowy owl's cage who hooted indignantly in response. It was the morning of September 1st and he knew that the old wizard would be along shortly to fetch him and escort him to this train he'd read so much about in Hogwarts: A History. The last two weeks had been no fun at all, due to presence of a very energetic and annoying Professor Flitwick.

Professor Flitwick had wasted no time in giving Harry the 'crash coarse' of last year's lessons. While Harry was pleased that the short-in-stature professor had been impressed with his abilities, the constant read, read, read lecture had him wishing he'd spent the last two weeks with Bats. Harry simply hated to read books. It was a useless skill on the streets and one that completely bored him to tears, yet this Professor Flitwick was obsessed with books.

 _Bang... Bang..._

Harry knew that those raps upon his door had to be those of Professor Dumbledore, for none other could knock so cheerfully. Harry made his way to the door and wasn't surprised to see the twinkling blue eyes looking down at him.

"Not really a morning person, Professor." said Harry, yawning loudly.

"I'm sure you're not – given your previous profession." chuckled Dumbledore. "Now, the Hogwarts Express leaves at precisely eleven o'clock so we must not be late."

"Why not just take me to the school yourself?" asked Harry, pulling on his new school robes.

"Taking the train is a tradition for all students." replied Dumbledore. "It's a way for you to get to know your potential house mates and build camaraderie with other houses."

"You people really do live in bubbles." muttered Harry.

Dumbledore ignored this statement and checked his watch.

"Come along Harry. Your things will be waiting for us there." said Dumbledore, smiling yet sternly.

Harry reluctantly took Dumbledore's extended hand, now knowing what was about to happen. They Apparated out of his room over the Leaky Cauldron into a bustling train station. Harry looked up to see that the sign read 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters'. Harry thought that even Mr. J would find that in bad humor.

As Harry looked down the station, he could see a scarlet steam engine sitting at the head of a long row of passenger cars. The idea of how this maniac Voldemort could still be alive was becoming more and more evident. Harry shook his head at the thought of riding this steam engine all the way to Hogwarts when he just covered several miles in a matter of seconds.

"Well, it's time you boarded the train and started to mingle with your fellow students." said Dumbledore happily. "There's a good family there."

Dumbledore pointed to a red headed family close to them. They looked so cookie cutter that it made Harry's nose curl.

"Yeah, well they don't look much to my speed." said Harry.

"Don't be so quick to judge." said Dumbledore. "You might just find yourself a friend for life if you keep an open mind."

"Listen, Professor," said Harry, turning to face Dumbledore "thank you for your help and advice, but I'll pick out my own friends in time. Those red heads might be your type, but I've got a way of reading people too."

Dumbledore's smile faltered; his eyes still twinkling as he stared at Harry. Then, as quickly as it had faltered, it had returned.

"Well, I will leave you to it." said Dumbledore. "Your things have already been loaded, so this is where I bid you happy travels. I will see you at Hogwarts."

Harry smiled and nodded to Dumbledore before spinning on his heals and heading for the train. Hopefully, he would find a way to pass the time aboard this ancient express.

* * *

Harley heard the door slam shut, followed by sadistic laughter that filled the building. Harley hurried downstairs to see what could make Mr. J so happy.

"Ah, Harley," growled Mr J, as she entered the room "I have good news for you."

"You found Harry!" shouted Harley, bouncing up and down.

"Haven't found him, but I know who took him." breathed Mr J. "Men with magic took him. I can only guess that they took him back to Britain."

"What are we going to do?" asked Harley.

"Don't you worry, Harley dear," replied Mr. J, his sadistic smile ever present "cause Harry Quinn – _is a comin' home!_ "

* * *

Harry made his way slowly down the train; looking into each compartment for what he considered, 'suitable traveling companions'. He had almost given up and headed back towards the compartment with the blond boy and the two thugs when he found exactly what he was looking for; a compartment of possible freaks.

Harry stared through the window of the compartment door and was barely able to conceal his sadistic smile. Three people sat in the compartment; a bushy haired bookworm sorting her large stack of books, a shy looking boy with dark hair holding a toad as though his life depended on it, and a dirty blond with a mad look in her eyes staring intently around as though she was looking for something invisible. Harry slid open the compartment door and stepped inside.

"Hello." said the bushy haired bookworm. "Who are you?"

"The name's Harry Quinn." replied Harry.

"Nope." said the dirty blond.

"Excuse me?" retorted Harry.

"Your name's not Harry Quinn." said the dirty blond in a dreamy tone. "You sound as though you're trying to convince us, not tell us. Therefore, you don't believe it yourself."

Harry had to fight back the urge to laugh. The young girl wasn't as mad as she looked.

"Okay," said Harry "how about you tell me your name and let me decide whether I want to tell you mine."

"So you lied?" asked the bushy haired bookworm. "Why would you lie?"

"Don't jump to conclusions." replied Harry. "Things are rarely ever what they seem."

"I like you already." said the dirty blond dreamily. "My name is Luna Lovegood and this is going to be my first year at Hogwarts."

Harry smiled at the young girl then looked at the dark haired boy that had yet to say a word. The boy glanced up at Harry then stared at his frog.

"That's Neville Longbottom and I'm Hermione Granger." said the bushy haired bookworm.

The boy named Neville glared the bookworm then looked back down. The train lurched slightly as it began to leave the station.

"Well, my name has been Harry Quinn for many years." said Harry. "Some know me as Ace, but here in your little slice of the world I'm known as Harry Potter. Now, may I join you three?"

Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger stared at him like he had just slapped them while Luna Lovegood smiled at him pleasantly.

"Why of course, Harry Potter." replied Luna smiling. "There's a seat available next to Hermione Granger."

Hermione stared at Luna as though she had sprouted another head as Harry took a seat next to her. The mood in the compartment was so tense that Harry knew had picked the right one. It was time for him to 'play his hand'.

"So," said Harry smirking as took in his bushy haired traveling companion "what's with all the light reading?"

"How old are you?" asked Hermione, her eyes burning holes into his.

"Avoiding my question or are you just dying to know?" asked Harry in a devilish tone.

"Not avoiding," replied Hermione, blushing hard "it's just that according to my books you were suppose to be in school last year."

"Books?" repeated Harry. "There are books about me and you've been reading them?"

"E-Everyone h-has." stuttered Neville.

"You can speak!" said Harry dramatically, grinning from ear to ear. "Very good, indeed! It will make the trip far easier."

"What does it matter if I speak or not." retorted Neville frowning. "Hermione's the only one that ever speaks to me."

"Well I'm here now and I'm speaking to you." said Harry, squinting at the frog in Neville's hand. "So what is the frog for? Does it squirt venom or something?"

"Venom?" repeated Neville. "Would make him bloody more useful if he did. His name is Trevor."

"Pleasure to meet you Trevor." said Harry, causing Neville to laugh. "So, Hermione, I am twelve years old and yes this is my first year officially however tiny Professor Flitwick has roughed me up to speed for my own good so that I can be with students my own age."

Luna looked disappointed, Hermione looked scared, and Neville looked delighted.

"That's excellent!" said Neville. "Do you know which house you'll be in yet?"

"Nope." replied Harry. "Professor Dumbledore said I would find out when I got there."

"You've met Professor Dumbledore?" asked Hermione in awe.

"Yeah, I've met the guy." snorted Harry. "He brought me to the station."

"Cool." sighed Neville.

"So, tell me about these houses." said Harry, leaning back and crossing his legs.

At this, Luna perked up, interested in the conversation once more. Hermione explained the differences in the houses and Neville informed him about the professors. Neville seemed extremely hesitant about the Potions Professor, which sparked Harry's interest greatly.

"So what about this Potions Professor – Snape is it?" asked Harry.

"He's the Head of Slytherin House and the Great Bat is only fair to them." replied Neville.

Harry physically flinched at the description, causing Hermione to snap at Neville.

"Don't give him any preconceived ideas, Neville!" hissed Hermione.

"Oh how I love witches that use big words." said Harry wickedly, causing Hermione to blush.

"Not really what I go for in a witch, myself." said a red haired boy as he slid open the compartment door.

Hermione and Neville scowled at the newcomer while Luna surveyed him with mild interest. He acted confident, but Harry could smell a facade a block away. He observed this newcomer appraisingly for a second before speaking.

"And whom might you be, Red?" asked Harry, leaning further back into his seat.

"The name's Ron Weasley – not Red." said the boy as he extended his hand, but Harry didn't move. Ron hastily stuffed his hand into his pocket. "My mum said that Harry Potter was aboard so you must be him."

"Name's Harry Quinn and I think I'll stick with Red." said Harry smirking.

"Come off it!" scoffed Ron. "I know you're him."

Harry rose to his feet so fast that no one in the compartment had a chance to even flinch. He drew even with Ron, merely inches from his face.

"When a man tells you his name, you should accept it." whispered Harry; a manic expression upon his face. "When you greet someone you should smile. My grandma never smiled and it made my grandpa miserable. Soon he took to drinking to make him forget the misery. One day he came home wasted and broke down sobbing on the living room floor. He asked my grandma why she never smiled and pleaded for her to. When she refused, he went into the kitchen and grabbed a peering knife. He forced the knife into her mouth and whispered, 'Smile for me', before he carved a smile onto her face. She was still smiling when we buried her."

"YOU"RE MENTAL!" screamed Ron, nearly tearing the door down as he left the compartment.

"See ya later, Red." chuckled Harry as he flopped back down into his seat.

"Y-You don't have any knives on you, do you?" asked Hermione, her face pale.

"Nope." replied Harry, popping the 'P' sound. "Dumbledore hexed me somehow. Every time I put a knife in my pocket it disappears."

"Did your grandfather really do that?" asked Neville, looking awe struck.

"So, ya think Red will come back before we reach our destination?" asked Harry, ignoring Neville's question.

"Rackspurts." said Luna, and Harry saw her smiling as she slipped from view behind a magazine called The Quibbler.

Before Harry could comment, the door to the compartment slid open once more. He looked up to see the blond haired boy and the two thugs standing there looking far too comfortable to be up to anything good.

"Well, if it isn't the squib and the mudblood." sneered the blond boy. "But who are your new friends?"

"Shut it, Malfoy!" said Neville.

"Wouldn't show too much spine, Longbottom." said Malfoy. "You won't be able to slide through another year in the shadows if people are staring, and we know how much you hate attention. You don't want them to notice that you have no real magical abilities, do you?"

"Malfoy, is it." said Harry standing up and striding closer to the three boys. "Maybe Neville doesn't want to just slide through this year. Maybe he's tired of the shadows that people like you cast. Maybe he's ready to slice a few throats – academically speaking, of course."

Malfoy took a step back from Harry while his two thugs cracked their knuckles menacingly.

"You're a little old to be a first year and I'm sure I would have remembered meeting you before." sneered Malfoy.

"Great observation and thanks for the compliment, but I prefer witches." said Harry, a manic look on his face.

"How dare you insinuate such a thing!" snapped Malfoy. "I am Draco Malfoy and you will learn to show some respect!"

"You gonna teach me blondy or do your thugs do all your work for you?" asked Harry, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Malfoy drew his wand, but Harry took it from him before he could blink, then shoved Malfoy into one of the two boys; pushing them into the compartment door. Harry put a swift kick into the side of the knee of the other boy; dropping him to the floor. Malfoy was shaking from head to toe.

"Need to work on those reflexes blondy if you plan on teaching me anything." said Harry in a soft voice. "I'm going to be nice and let you walk away this time. I have no idea what you called my friends here, but I'm smart enough to recognize a good insult. Do it again in my presence and you forfeit the right to reproduce. Am I clear?"

Malfoy nodded vigorously before Harry released him; shoving Malfoy's wand into the blond boy's robes. Malfoy and the other boy helped their comrade to his feet before quickly exiting the compartment. Harry flopped back down beside Hermione, feeling quite satisfied with the little exercise and hoping there would be more to come.

"F-Friends, Harry?" stuttered the bookworm as she stared at him.

"Am I moving too slow?" asked Harry, causing Hermione to blush.

"Seriously Harry." interjected Neville. "You want to be our friends?"

"Of course!" replied Harry enthusiastically. "It's why I joined you all. When I looked through the compartment door I saw a group that I couldn't wait to get to know!"

"Why?" asked Hermione. "I mean, Neville and I are just about as unpopular as you can get. I was surprised when Luna here joined us."

"When I opened the door, you said hi and invited me in." said Luna. "You were the first to do so."

"When I stepped inside," said Harry "I saw intelligence, adventure, and who wouldn't want to get to know somebody with a pet toad!"

The four of them burst into laughter and didn't stop for several minutes. The remainder of the trip was quite uneventful. Harry used the time to get to know his fellow traveling companions and friends.

Hermione was every bit the bookworm he had hoped for and more. She knew just about all there was to know about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Neville was shy, but of noble bloodline. He knew all about what they called Pureblood families and their culture. Luna was a Pureblood, however her father was the editor of the newspaper, The Quibbler, which distanced them from other noble families. The Lovegoods were fascinated by strange and rare magical creatures that most deemed to be mythical, according to Hermione. All in all, this was definitely the group that Harry was looking for; a real band of misfits.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there's my first crossover! If you enjoyed, please feel free to review and let me know if I should continue the story. This chapter was not beta'd simply because I did not wish to trouble one of my talented Betas with this until I knew if it was going to fade to a one-shot or spawn into a multi-chapter FF.**

 **If you're in the States, please remember 9/11 and all the lives we lost on that fateful day.**


	2. Mad As A March Hare

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Two: Mad As A March Hare**

Robin had just returned from his midnight rounds feeling quite good about himself. He had thwarted two robberies and even came out on the plus side of a quick encounter with Catwoman. She had gotten away, but not with the purse of diamonds that she had just lifted from a jewelry store. So while he wasn't expecting something like a congratulations or anything from his mentor, he sure wasn't expecting a stone cold reception.

"What did I do this time?" asked Robin, approaching the desk where Bruce sat stone faced.

"I don't know." retorted Bruce. "What did you do?"

"Hey, I may not have been able to apprehend Catwoman, but at least I recovered the jewels!" retorted Robin defensively.

"Catwoman is the least of our worries." said Bruce, typing something on his computer. "You said that the Joker's young apprentice, Ace, disappeared two weeks ago."

"Yeah, but you said you weren't interested." said Robin, removing his mask.

"I wasn't – till now." said Bruce, scratching his chin.

"What's going on?" asked Robin.

"The Joker and Harley have disappeared and someone matching Harley's description was seen in London by Rip." replied Bruce. "He lost track of her in the inner city."

"What's that got to do with that little magician?" asked Robin, leaning on the desk.

"Harley's father was from London and so is this Ace." retorted Bruce. "I've long believed that he is Harley's nephew. His disappearance was meaningless until the Joker disappeared as well. There are things that the likes of the Joker can never be allowed to get a hold of, and Ace may be there to retrieve them for him."

"You're not going to tell me what you're talking about, are you?" asked Robin, smirking.

"Only if absolutely necessary." replied Bruce.

"So does this mean – "

"It means," interrupted Bruce "that my recovery time has been cut short. I'll need you to continue to watch over Gotham for me while I'm gone."

"So who's headed to London?" asked Robin. "Bruce Wayne or Batman?"

"Both." replied Bruce, rising to his feet.

* * *

When the train conductor announced that the train would be pulling into the station soon, Harry mused over how excited his little bookworm was getting.

"Luna and I need to change into our school robes and uniforms before we reach the station." said Hermione, glancing at the door.

"Okay. We'll cover our eyes." retorted Harry innocently. "We promise we won't peek. Right Nev?"

Neville turned a deep shade of red and Luna giggled.

"I don't think so." replied Hermione, blushing slightly. "Besides, it wouldn't be proper."

"Oh well," sighed Harry "can't blame a guy for trying. Come on Nev."

Harry and Neville stepped out into the corridor and waited for Hermione and Luna to change. The train leaned ever so slightly as it turned another bend, causing Harry to smirk as he wondered to himself if the train had ever derailed before. He figured that there were magical spells in place to prevent that from happening, but he'd have to ask Hermione about it later.

"While we wait," said Harry, leaning lightly on Neville's shoulder "I need to ask you something."

"S-Sure Harry." said Neville, still not use to Harry's antics. "You can ask me anything."

"You and Hermione are in the same year and the seem to be good friends, right?" asked Harry casually.

"Uh yeah." replied Neville. "Hermione is one of the few mates I have."

"Mates – as in friends, right?" asked Harry, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Uh yeah… I mean, that's what we call our friends round here." replied Neville, frowning at Harry. "What are you suggesting, Harry?"

"Oh nothing really." retorted Harry. "Just wondering if you might think she's, ya know, attractive or anything."

"Who, me?" scissored Neville, turning bright red. "I've never… I mean, not Hermione."

"But there is someone." retorted Harry slyly.

"N-Not in our house." said Neville smiling, his face blood red now. "She's in Hufflepuff." Neville gasped, "Promise you won't tell!"

"No worries, Nev." replied Harry, winking. "I'm real good at keeping secrets."

The compartment door opened and Hermione welcomed them back inside. Harry and Neville had boarded the train already wearing their school robes and uniforms, thus did not need to change. Harry noted that Luna was wearing a set of plain black robes like his.

"Kinda morbid, don't ya think?" mused Harry aloud.

"What's morbid?" repeated Hermione.

"Oh nothing really." replied Harry. "It's just – while I get that Luna and I will be getting fancy new emblems for our robes – the whole black theme seems a bit like going to a funeral or something."

"Well, what color would you choose for your robes if they gave you a choice?" asked Hermione.

"Either purple or yellow." replied Harry.

"Yellow?" repeated Neville. "Why yellow?"

"It's the perfect mixture of green and red." replied Harry smiling.

"I think that yellow robes sound lovely, Harry Quinn." said Luna dreamily.

"It would be total chaos if students were allowed to wear whatever color pleased them." said Hermione.

"Well, I guess that black robes are for the best." sighed Harry dramatically. "They fit my reserved personality."

At this, Neville snorted as he laughed then looked around uncomfortably. Harry could tell that it wasn't normal for Neville to enjoy himself. He looked as though laughing felt awkward to him. Harry would definitely change that.

When the train finally arrived in Hogsmeade Station, Harry followed Hermione off of the train and into a scene from a Grimm's fairytale he had once read. Diagon Alley had been bizarre enough, but this place was so far from anything he had ever seen in Gotham that it made him question his decision.

"It's one of the few all magical villages left in Britain." said Hermione, misunderstanding Harry's expression as one of awe.

"Great." moaned Harry sarcastically. "That means, no TV, no electricity, no phones, or modern marvels of any kind. Like one giant solitary."

"Oh I think you'll find many things to keep a Muggleborn like yourself busy." said a pompous voice behind him.

Harry turned to see a tall red-haired boy standing behind him; an arrogant look upon his face. His features reminded him of the other red-haired boy he had met earlier on the train. As he looked the boy over, he noticed a shiny badge attached to his robes with the letter 'P' at its center.

"Allow me to introduce myself." said the older boy, extending his hand. "My name is Percy Weasley. I am a sixth year and a Gryffindor Prefect."

"Well hello." said Harry, smirking as he shook his hand; his eyes dancing devilishly at the thought, ' _Another Weasley_ '. "The name's Harry Quinn. I'm new here, but you'll find I'm a fast learner."

"Excellent." said Percy. "Hope to see you in Gryffindor. Excuse me, but I must find someone."

Harry turned back around to find Hermione, Neville, and Luna staring at him.

"So, will it be Quinn that you'll be going by?" asked Hermione.

"For now." sniffed Harry. "It's been my name for as long as I can remember, so why change it now? Besides, the name Potter seems to draw too much attention."

A voice bellowed over the crowd, "First yers over here! First yers this way!"

Harry looked up to see a monster of a man holding a lantern high in the air.

"Well, I guess I'll see you all later." said Luna, sounding sad.

Harry looked around. Dumbledore hadn't been specific as to what he should do once he got there.

"Not certain what I'm supposed to do." said Harry.

"Well, you're not technically a first year, but you still need to be Sorted." interjected Hermione.

Seeing the look on Luna's face helped him make his decision.

"Well, it looks as though I'm off to follow the jolly giant!" said Harry, a manic expression covering his face.

Luna beamed with happiness as she and Harry waved bye to Hermione and Neville. Harry watched as his new comrades made their way up a trail to his right. He, Luna and a small group of first years followed the large man down a path into the woods. He knew that he remembered this scene from a movie he'd once watched with Harley – and like most horror movies, that one didn't end well. Not liking to receive surprises, he decided to ask the mountain of fur that they were following.

"Excuse me, um, Professor?" said Harry as respectfully as possible.

"Who me?" chuckled the massive man. "I be no professor. Me name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts."

' _Keeper of Keys?_ ' thought Harry darkly. This was someone that he would definitely want to get to know.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr Hagrid." said Harry. "My name is Harry Quinn."

"Pleasure to know you, Harry Quinn, but call me Hagrid." said the massive man. "None of this Mr stuff. Now, what can I do for ya?"

"I was wondering where we were going?" asked Harry.

"Why Hogwarts, of course!" chuckled Hagrid. "But first yers get to go a special way. It's tradition!"

' _Powder puff world it is, then_.' mused Harry to himself.

"And there it be!" exclaimed Hagrid. "Hogwarts!"

Harry looked up to see a very formidable looking castle, set atop the side of a cliff and overlooking a large murky-looking lake.

"How do we get there from here?" asked a timid looking first year.

"By boat, of course!" chuckled Hagrid, as though this was obvious. "What did ya think? You were going to have to swim for it?"

As Hagrid laughed merrily, many small unmanned boats sailed into view; bumping gently against the shore.

"No more than four to a boat." called out Hagrid.

Harry noted as he climbed aboard one of the small boats with Luna that Hagrid required one boat to himself. A small dark haired Asian girl a red headed girl joined them in their boat. Once everyone was seated, the tiny boats began to magically move across the water as though they were being pulled by an invisible rope.

"Wonder if anyone has ever drowned while crossing?" mused Harry aloud, leaning back.

"Surely not!" said the Asian girl, clearly a little panicked at the thought.

"Why would you ask that?" retorted the red haired girl, reminding Harry of the Weasley boy.

"It's a perfectly logical question." said Luna dreamily.

"I was bored and curious, so I thought I'd ask." hummed Harry.

"Sounds like something my brothers might say." said the red haired girl.

"Where are my manners." said Harry straightening up. "The name's Harry Quinn."

"Pleasure to meet you, Harry." said the Asian girl. "My name is Lian Lu."

"Harry already knows me, but I'm Luna Lovegood." chimed Luna dreamily, causing Harry to smirk.

"Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley." said the red haired girl.

"Weasley... as in Ron and Perry Weasley?" asked Harry, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"My brothers." replied Ginny. "Sorry if you've met Ron, and the other is Percy, but call him Perry. That will annoy him a lot!"

Harry smirked at the girl's slightly mischievous personality.

"Do you have any other family at Hogwarts?" asked Luna.

"Oh yes." said Ginny, grinning broadly. "Fred and George. They're twins, and once you meet them you'll never forget 'um – I guarantee it!"

"Do you have any sisters?" asked Lian.

"No." sighed Ginny. "I'm the youngest of seven and the only girl. What about you?"

"Only child." said Luna.

"Same here." said Lian.

"One of a kind." said Harry dramatically, brushing the hair from his forehead.

Ginny and Lian both gasped.

"That scar!" squeaked Ginny. "You're... you're..."

"That's right... I'm one of THEM!" interrupted Harry.

"You're one of who?" asked Lian timidly, looking nervous again.

"I don't know. She started it!" retorted Harry, pointing at Ginny and smiling sadistically.

"What?" squeaked Ginny, barely above a whisper. "No... I mean... I meant you're Harry Potter."

"My birth name is Harry Potter." corrected Harry. "My aunt gave me her last name when I went to live with her. It's the only name I've ever known and I will not answer to any other."

"So... are any of the books about you true?" asked Lian slowly.

"None that I've been told about." replied Harry, thinking of what Hermione had told him.

"According to what I've read, you should be older than me." said Lian. "Is this false as well?"

"This is true." replied Harry. "I missed my first year due to being so far away. Now, enough of me. Let's talk about something interesting, like how much longer this boat ride is."

"We're almost to the castle." said Lian. "I'm sure it won't be much longer now."

Harry looked ahead to see the face of a cliff coming into view. At the base was what looked to be the opening to a cave. Without warning, Harry broke into song.

" _We are sailing from our homeland,_

 _Cross the ocean on the sea,_

 _For whatever reasons be,_

 _We question all authority!"_

Harry finished just as the tiny boats sailed into the cave; Hagrid yelling for them to duck down over Harry's serenade. Harry held the last note as long as he could; echoing throughout. When he was finished, the three girls giggled uncontrollably while the other students simply stared at him from their boats.

"Merlin!" giggled Lian.

"Who?" retorted Harry.

"It's an expression, Harry." said Luna.

"You've never heard of the Sorcerer named Merlin?" asked Ginny dumbstruck.

"Yeah I've heard of him, but never like that." replied Harry. "Still trying to get your 'expressions' down. Sometimes I feel like I'm standing in a elevator and asking for directions."

The three girls giggled again at Harry's strange humor. The boats exited the mouth of the cave into a cove. He looked up to see the dark outline of the base of the castle and couldn't hide the sadistic smirk that formed at the sight.

Once the boats made shore, Harry helped each of the girls out of the vessel and onto the sandy landing. Hagrid led the group up a staircase that ascended into the rock, until they reached two giant doors. He was starting to see why the Headmaster took so much pride in his school. It was intimidating, grand and Harry was going to learn every secret it had.

Hagrid knocked three times on the massive doors, then waited. A greasy looking man opened the door, mumbled something to Hagrid.

"Ain't got no Harry Potter." said Hagrid loudly. "Got a Harry Quinn though."

The greasy man mumbled something else that was followed by an, "Oh." from Hagrid.

"Uh, Harry Quinn." called Hagrid.

Harry sighed as he stepped forward to the front of the group.

"Blimey." said Hagrid. "So yer James and Lily's son."

"Take it you knew my parents." groaned Harry.

"Yeah, I did." replied Hagrid. "Fine people. Terrible thing that happened. Professor McGonagall would like a word with you."

Hagrid pointed to the stern looking witch standing just inside the doorway. Harry wondered as he made his way to her if she had heard about what happened on the train.

"Will it be Potter or Quinn?" asked Professor McGonagall the moment he was close enough.

"Quinn for now, Professor." replied Harry respectfully. "The whole Potter thing is too confusing and it draws too much attention."

"Very well." said Professor McGonagall. "However, I must warn you that news like this travels fast amongst the student body. Once it is out, attention will be something that you won't be able to avoid. Now, you will be sorted in order along with the rest. I will not let this be any more of a spectacle this evening than necessary."

"Whatever you say, Professor." said Harry, giving her a half bow.

Professor McGonagall gave him strange look, as though she wasn't so sure about him, before stepping forward to address the first year students. It was a boring speech and held little interest for him. He was more interested in what he assumed was one of the school ghosts that seemed to be hovering above the group.

Once the Professor's intro speech was over she made her way into what must be the Great Hall. Hermione had described it to him on the train and it was the only area teaming with life at the moment. A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall returned and escorted the group into the hall.

Just as Hermione had said, Professor McGonagall placed an old looking hat on a stool at the front of the hall, then waited. The hat, like a puppet without strings, began to sing from the rip near it's brim. The song was odd and did not interest Harry, so he began to hum his own tune. A girl from the Ravenclaw table shot him an ugly look.

"Stop singing." said Harry, opening his robes and pretending to talk to someone inside his pocket. "Got enough air down there? Good, good."

The Ravenclaw's eyes widened before quickly looking away. Harry smirked again at how easy it was to spook these witches and wizards. When the hat finished singing, the Great Hall broke into applause.

One-by-one, the new students approached the stool when Professor McGonagall called their name. She placed the hat on their head and it yelled out their school house. Lian was Sorted into Ravenclaw and so was Luna.

So far it seemed to be down to either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor for Harry. The Hufflepuffs looked too boring and the Slytherins were way too obviously up to no good. He knew that he needed to be somewhere that he could blend and eventually be above suspicion.

"Quinn, Harry!" called Professor McGonagall.

Harry made his way up to the stool and McGonagall placed the hat upon his head.

"Well, well, well indeed." said a voice in Harry's ear. "There's no doubt where you belong."

' _It had better be Ravenclaw or Gryffindor._ ' thought Harry.

"Oh no, young man." said the voice. "Slytherin is the house for you."

' _You can read my thoughts?_ ' pondered Harry.

"I can see into your head." said the voice. "And yes, I can read your thoughts."

' _So can you see what I've done with knives in the past?_ ' thought Harry.

"Absolutely." said the voice.

' _Then make no mistake._ ' thought Harry. ' _Put me into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Anything else and I'll find you and carve a smile into that rag of a face – permanently! Understood?_ '

There was a long silence before the hat shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Professor McGonagall removed the hat from his head, sporting an even stranger look still; one of shock mixed with concern. Harry hopped down from the stool to loud applause from the Gryffindor table. He made his way down the table, shaking hands as he went, until he found Hermione and Neville. Neville immediately made room for him on the bench.

"Welcome to Gryffindor." said Neville, shaking his hand.

"You'll tell me how you managed it later." whispered Hermione.

"As you wish." smirked Harry, causing Hermione to blush at the mischief in his eyes.

Harry did not pay attention to the Sorting again until it was Ginny's turn. She was instantly sorted into Gryffindor, to no surprise. When the Sorting was finished, Professor Dumbledore stood and gave a short speech before food magically appeared on the table in-front of them. His aunt had made sure that he had never went hungry, but the shear amount of food before him made him feel as though he had been starving for years.

When the deserts were served, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet once more and gave another address. Harry found this speech to be more informative than the first one. Mention of the Forbidden Forest being off limits to students drew a glance from the Headmaster to a set of red headed twin boys that must be Ginny's brothers. The shear mayhem hidden behind their innocent expressions told Harry that they were ones to become acquainted with.

Then something unexpected happened. Professor Dumbledore led the school in what he referred to as a song. It sounded like something that the Riddler had written while suffering from a hangover. Harry slowly sang along, as everyone seemed to be singing at their own pace. When it was finished, he realized that there were twisted individuals in this world as well.

Once the hall was dismissed, the first year students followed the House Prefects to their dorm rooms while Harry chose to stay with Hermione and Neville. They showed him up to the Gryffindor common room and how to get in. Once inside, he looked around and admired how cozy and boring the room looked. He saw Ginny's twin brothers standing next to the fireplace. As though they sensed his desires, they stared at him as though they'd been waiting for him to arrive.

"You two find me interesting?" asked Harry, walking up to the Weasley twins.

"We heard what you did to our brother." said the twin on the left.

"And we heard who you are from our sister." said the twin on the right.

"Your brother needs some manners and I did nothing to him that a pair of clean tidy whiteys wouldn't fix." retorted Harry.

"You've got it all wrong, mate." said the twin on the left.

"We're not mad, we're glad." said the twin on the right.

"Ickle Ronnie needs a good kick from time to time." said the twins in unison.

"I'm Fred." said the twin on the left.

"And I'm George." said the twin on the right.

Both twins extended their hands in greeting. Harry shook both hands, unable to suppress a smirk.

"And you, Harry Quinn." said Fred.

"Have a flare to you." said George.

"It's in your eyes." said the twins in unison.

Harry turned around to see Neville and Hermione hanging back towards the middle of the common room; watching from afar. Harry motioned for them to join him. They very reluctantly did so.

"Fred – George, these are my friends Neville and Hermione." said Harry.

"They know who we are." hissed Hermione in Harry's ear.

"Then why were you standing so far away?" asked Harry.

"Overlook 'em, Harry." said Fred.

"Most give the kings of chaos space." said George.

' _Kings of chaos, aye? We'll see about that!_ ', thought Harry.

"Well, _kings_ , if you're going to accept me into your circle of mates, then you'll have to accept them as well." said Harry firmly.

"Gladly." said George.

"We don't shy away from people." said Fred.

"People shy away from us." said George.

"It's because trouble tends to follow you two." said Neville.

"Us?" retorted the twins in unison. "Never!"

The twins, Neville and Hermione started laughing at once. Harry, on the other hand, was smirking too hard to laugh. Mr J had taught him to find and surround himself with talented outcasts. Friendship was only something that Aunt Harley ever sought out from others. He saw the possibilities of both in all of those he had befriended thus far. The rest of the common room was looking on at the ruckus with mixed expressions, and rightfully so. When Harry was finished here, the freaks would run this school and the normal people would hide in their corners.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was sorting through his accounts in his study when his wife entered the room. It did not go unnoticed by him that she was wearing barely more than a loosely tied robe.

"Heard from Draco?" asked Narcissa Malfoy, a playful tone to her voice.

"Yes." replied Lucius, leaning back in his chair. "He's settled in at school and ready for his second year to begin. Said there was an anomaly during the Sorting. A second year student was just now starting at Hogwarts. He was wondering if I knew of any transfers."

"That's nice, dear." said Narcissa, clearly not interested. "Will you be much longer?"

"I have a few more things to sort out, then I'll be ready to turn in." replied Lucius, a greedy look covering his face.

"Don't be long, love." said Narcissa, smiling and walking slowly out of the study.

"She seems eager."

Lucius jumped up, scanning the study for the source of the voice; his wand drawn and ready. Suddenly, the plant behind him ensnared him in its branches, causing him to drop his wand.

"Love the foliage you have here." said Ivy, stepping into the study seductively.

"How dare you!" growled Lucius.

"Shhh." said Mr J, stepping out of the shadows and into the light. "Wouldn't want to concern the misses."

"Who are you and how did you get into my house?" demanded Lucius, struggling against the branches.

"Wasn't that hard." replied Harley, stepping out from behind Mr J. "Your garden was just dying for some attention and they just loved Ivy."

"You're nothing but a bunch of Muggle freaks." spat Lucius. "How did you find my house?"

"Followed you." replied Mr J. "I've learned a thing or two about magic in my day. You and your pompous ways looked exactly like the type of – whatever you are – that I needed. And yes... we're freaks."

"And what is it that you want from me?" spat Lucius.

"Information, my good sir." said Mr J. "Information about the school that your son goes to. Now, we have no intentions of harming you or your family – if – you cooperate."

"I know darkness." spat Lucius. "I've witnessed the darkest of deeds committed by the darkest of wizards, so why should I take orders from a Muggle wearing face paint and a cheap purple suit?"

"I can be – persuasive." retorted Mr J, inching closer. "Now, let's be civil. Shall we? I mean – why such the serious face?"

"I see that this may take a while." sighed Ivy. "Think I'll go make sure that the misses doesn't get – lonely."

"Stay away from my wife!" growled Lucius.

Ivy ignored him as she left the room. They could hear her singing softly as she made her way up the stairs, _"No one knows the love of another until they've felt the thorns of a rose!"_

* * *

"Albus!" said Professor McGonagall sharply. "A word!"

"Yes, Minerva?" replied Professor Dumbledore, looking up from his desk.

"Don't play innocent with me, Albus Dumbledore!" spat Professor McGonagall. "How did that boy get into my house?"

"The Sorting Hat placed him there." replied Professor Dumbledore. "You know I have no control over where the Hat places students. It is the purpose of the Hat – to be impartial."

"Have you asked the Hat why, Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"The Hat has chosen to remain silent on this matter." replied Professor Dumbledore. "It does not have to explain itself. The Founders made it that way."

Professor McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"Do you feel that we have made a mistake bringing him here?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Don't you?" retorted Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, this is where he belongs." replied Professor Dumbledore softly. "It's his birth-right. I truly fear what might have happened to him if he had stayed with his aunt."

"I fear what might happen with him here!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. "He's – he's mad as a march hare!"

"Now Minerva –"

"Don't now Minerva me, Albus!" interrupted Professor McGonagall. "Surely you've heard the reports from the train and from Hagrid. Not to mention the Ravenclaw Prefect."

"Minerva, he's not mad." stated Dumbledore firmly. "To the contrary, he's – calculating."

"The traits of a Slytherin." interjected Professor McGonagall.

"He's also brave and courageous." said Dumbledore. "He showed that on the train – twice. Once with Mr Weasley and once with Mr Malfoy. Both times he was defending his new friends. These are the traits of a Gryffindor."

"That's it then?" retorted Professor McGonagall.

"He stays, Minerva." said Dumbledore firmly. "That's my final word. If something changes, we'll address it then. Remember, it's okay to be different."

Professor McGonagall nodded curtly before turning to leave the Headmaster's office. As she closed the door she muttered, "You should know."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to all for the great reviews and the overwhelming response to this story! This Harry is really fun to write and I'm glad to see that a lot of people enjoy him too. To answer to some questions concerning his personality: this Harry really lives for today. He formulates plans for the future, but doesn't dwell too long on the past. Not to overstate this, but he's twelve and has been raised by maniacs.**

 **Sorry for the long delay between posts. Life has been really busy. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review. There's much more to come, I promise! No beta, so any mistakes are all on me.  
**


	3. The Game

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Three: The Game**

 _Dear Aunt Harley,_

 _Not sure if you'll get this or not but I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. A couple of characters showed up and escorted me to a school in Britain called Hogwarts to learn magic. I was mad at first but now I'm starting to have fun. I'd like to stay and see what I can learn. It looks to be fun. You'd love it here. They say I can come back home after my year is done as long as I don't go telling everyone about this place. Tell Mistah J that I said hi and that I'm making friends. The owl can probably return a letter if you want it to._

 _With Love and Always Smiling,_

 _Harry_

"Albus, I really do not approve of you reading a student's mail." said Professor McGonagall sharply, standing in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk.

"Normally Minerva, I wouldn't either." sighed Professor Dumbledore, leaning back in his chair. "However, Harry's home life is unique and we must be careful."

"Anything in his letter alarming?" quipped Professor McGonagall.

"Actually, this letter is quite promising." mused Professor Dumbledore. "It seems that he is enjoying being here and is even making friends."

"Albus, are you sure that this is in the best interest of all involved?" asked Professor McGonagall. "That is, Mr Potter being here."

"Minerva, it is what's best for our entire world." replied Professor Dumbledore, gazing over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "As long as Lord Voldemort still exists, no matter his condition, our world needs Harry Potter."

"Will you be sending the letter on then?" asked Professor McGonagall, folding her arms.

"I see no reason not to." replied Professor Dumbledore, smiling. "Matter of fact, I think it might help _settle_ outside issues before they arise."

* * *

Lucius blinked a couple of times as he came to. His vision was slightly blurry; dehydration slowly setting in. He wasn't sure how long he'd been bound to that chair, his mouth taped and his wrists tied behind the back of the chair – by a common Muggle no less. It was disgraceful for a servant of the Dark Lord to be subservient to filth. The slamming of the door to the dungeon drew his attention from his internal musings.

"Oh good… you're awake." chuckled the Joker sadistically, rubbing his hands together.

Lucius watched as his psychotic captor did some sort of bizarre dance; crossing the floor quickly.

"I really _l-o-v-e_ what you've done with the place." growled the Joker, tilting his head only inches from Lucius' face. "It has a real medieval flare… but let's _cut_ the chit chat, shall we? Let's play – _Pop Goes The Weasel_!"

The Joker backed slowly away from Lucius until he was at least three feet away.

"Recognize one of these?" asked the Joker, withdrawing a revolver from his jacket. He loaded a single round into the cylinder, then spun it madly. "Crude? Yes… I know, but it's a crude world we live in."

Quicker than Lucius could blink, the demented jester closed the gap between them; shoving the barrel under Lucius' chin.

"Now, I'm a fair man." cackled the Joker, an evil glint in his eyes. "So in the spirit of fair play… we'll take turns… You go first!"

' _All Around The Mulberry Bush,_ ' sang the Joker.

 _CLICK!_

The Joker cackled again as Lucius flinched at the sound of the hammer striking the firing pin.

"Now, it's my turn." hissed the insane clown, shoving the barrel of the pistol into the side of his own face.

' _The Monkey Chased The Weasel._ '

 _CLICK!_

"And that's the end of round number one. Oh, this game may take a while!" laughed the Joker. "Before we start the next round, let's chat!"

The Joker pulled a knife from his pocket and slit open the tape that covered Lucius' mouth; cutting his lower lip. Lucius spit the blood from his mouth into the face of his captor.

"That was rude." sighed the Joker, smirking. "Thought you were… _high society_."

"What do you hope to gain?" retorted Lucius. "Even if I tell you the whereabouts of Hogwarts, you'll never get past the protective wards. You're wasting your time you bloody bastard!"

"Oh, but I believe you know a way." said the Joker. "How else could the parents of, oh what do you call them… ah yes… Muggleborns. How could they ever visit the school in case of an emergency?"

Lucius sat silent – staring at his captor. The _clown_ wasn't a fool, however he would not allow this filth to enter Hogwarts.

"No answer?" taunted the Joker. "Well, I guess we'll just have to continue to play our little game."

The Joker jabbed the barrel back under Lucius' chin.

' _The Monkey Thought It Was All In Fun,_ '

 _BOOM!_

Lucius' chair was suddenly moistened with the release of his bowels. The underneath of his chin was burning and causing him immense pain, but amazingly he was still alive.

"Did that sting?" asked the Joker, clearly amused. "That was what we call… _A BLANK!_." The Joker reached into his pocket and withdrew another round, loading it into the revolver. "This time… we'll use _live ammo!_ "

Lucius involuntarily shook from his head to his toes at the thought of doing that again. The bastard was going to kill him – he was sure of it..

"Now, where was I?" mused the Joker. "Ah yes… anything you'd like to tell me? No? Good! We have all the time in the world to play!"

* * *

' _Pop Goes The Weasel!_ '

"Harry!" grunted Hermione, walking down the corridor beside him. "Would you please stop singing that childish song?"

"Childish?" repeated Harry while smirking. "Depends on who is singing it."

"You really need to –" began Hermione.

"Need to what?" interrupted Harry, now staring at her with a crooked smirk.

"Sober up, mate." said Neville from his other side. "This will be your first Potions class and Snape doesn't cozy up to humor."

Harry smirked at the thought of these two trying to keep him from having some fun. Since the moment he was Sorted into Gryffindor, Hermione had been 'mothering' him.

"Yes Mom. Yes Dad." simpered Harry, a smile curving his face. "But seriously you two, I've been here nearly a week now and I've yet to receive detention."

"You sound disappointed!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Listen Hermione, you'll never know your limits until you push yourself to the edge." said Harry, forcing himself to sound serious. "The same can be said for the rules. If you never push to see where the line is, you live in fear of the line."

"Harry –" began Hermione.

"Hermione, I'm not saying to go get expelled." interrupted Harry. "I'm just saying to find the detention line and cross it only if necessary."

Hermione shook her head at his logic. She had never lived in his world. Never seen the things he had seen. This powder puff world was going to bend to his ways or break from the strain.

"Hey Harry!" called Fred from behind them.

"Wait up!" called George.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville turned to see the Weasley twins hurrying to catch up.

"What's up, Fred number one and George number two?" asked Harry, gaining a wide smirk from Fred and George.

"Remember that 'Head' problem?" asked Fred.

"The one you told us about." said George.

"Yep." replied Harry, popping the "P" sound.

"Here's your answer." said Fred.

"Made it ourselves." said George, handing Harry something wrapped in a cloth.

"Don't open it here." said the twins in unison.

A large smirk spread across Harry's face as he tucked the package inside his robes. Neville looked curious while Hermione looked nervous. If it was what he thought it was, life there just got much more interesting.

"Thanks guys, I mean mates." said Harry, unable to hide his excitement. "I'll check it out after class. See you two at supper."

The twins smiled and Harry honestly thought that the mischief hiding behind their eyes could possibly rival his aunt Harley's infamous look. They gave him a half bow, then skipped away down the corridor.

"What did they give you?" asked Hermione, frowning hard.

"I'll show you later." replied Harry devilishly, making Hermione blush.

"Do you think it's –" began Neville.

"We'll discuss it later." interrupted Harry in a whispered tone. "Too many ears in the open."

To Harry's delight, both Neville and Hermione nodded in agreement. He had been slowly expressing to Hermione the level of distrust he had with the school. Nothing this 'Powder Puff' could be on the up and up. She was defensive, but had been willing to listen. Neville, on the other hand, was proving to be a much quicker convert to his ideas.

The three made their way to the dungeons and found an open table near the front of the classroom. ' _Anyone who goes to this extreme to frighten students must have something to hide_ ' Harry mused to himself as he looked about the classroom. It was dark, damp and possessed that eerie feeling, commonly associated with the intro to a bad horror movie. They were sharing class with the Slytherins and he could barely suppress his joy at the setup.

Professor Snape swept into the room in dramatic fashion before turning to face the class.

"It seems that we have a new addition to Gryffindor." said Professor Snape silkily. "Mr Harry _Potter_."

Whispers broke out throughout the classroom at this. Professor McGonagall had told Harry that people would find out, so he wasn't angry yet.

"Excuse me, sir," said Harry politely, raising his hand "but my name is Harry Quinn."

"According to the official ledger of Hogwarts, your name is Harry Potter." snapped Professor Snape. "And while you may be justified in not wanting to claim that name," a sneer curled the Professor's face " _it is_ your name and you will answer to it in my class."

"Forgive me, Professor," retorted Harry, deciding it was time to test the line "but I will not answer to Potter. It is _not_ my name."

Professor Snape swooped over to their table and slammed his hands onto it, leaning down to face Harry. Neville nearly fell out of his chair and Hermione gasped.

"Listen to me, Potter!" shouted Professor Snape. "You will show me respect in this classroom and in this castle! Whatever you think makes you special is a lie! You are nothing more –"

Professor Snape stopped mid sentence as Harry broke down laughing in front of him. He blinked several times, clearly unable to comprehend this reaction. The entire classroom went silent as they watched; holding their breath as one.

"You think I'm funny?" asked Professor Snape coldly, regaining his grasp on the moment.

"Oh no, Professor." snorted Harry, slowly sobering back up. "Call me Potter if you wish. Call me whatever you want." Harry's gaze suddenly turned deadly as he growled through the laughter, " _I like you… Professor_."

Professor Snape backed away from the table several steps; not breaking eye contact with Harry.

"Detention, Mr… Potter," said Professor Snape after a very long minute "for disrupting my class."

"As you wish, Professor." replied Harry, nodding his head and chuckling darkly.

Harry glanced over at Hermione and winked as Professor Snape turned to his blackboard to begin outlining the lesson for the day. He then glanced to his left and noticed Malfoy for the first time. He was staring at Harry with a mixture of hatred and horror.

"That was bloody brilliant!" exclaimed Neville in a hushed tone as they exited Snape's classroom nearly an hour later.

"No it wasn't!" hissed Hermione. "Now Harry has Detention!"

"Small price." said Harry calmly as they ascended the stairs together.

"What? Because now you know where the line is?" retorted Hermione.

"No." replied Harry. "Because now I own Professor Snape."

"What do you mean?" asked Neville.

Harry waited till they reached the top of the stairs, then yanked Neville and Hermione into what looked to be the school trophy room.

"Listen," hissed Harry, ignoring Hermione's protest "if I had allowed Professor Snape to control that exchange, he would have owned me for the rest of the year. I didn't grow up learning my manners and how to host tea parties. What I was taught was how to own every situation. Where I grew up, you either understood the system or you got smoked. So Detention, in my opinion, is a small price to pay for what I gained."

"Is where you're from really that bad?" asked Neville, looking at Harry in awe.

"Nev," replied Harry. "you can't even imagine the city I grew up in."

"Why didn't your family just move?" asked Hermione, truly trying to understand.

Harry smirked, "You don't just move away. It's not allowed. They create their puppets for their own amusement. They give us strings and make us dance. But when you don't dance like the others – they call you a freak and try to stop you. So you do the only thing you can – you cut your strings."

"You're not a freak, Harry." said Hermione softly.

"Seriously?" snorted Harry. "Even here I stand out like the circus freak. My parents were killed by a maniac that everyone feared and the only reason I'm still here is because when he tried to kill me too, something strange happened. Now, I'm the Boy-Who-Lived-With-A-Scar." Harry leaned on one of the trophy cases. "But it's okay. I've never fit in and I'll never want to."

"We've never fit in either." said Neville. "My uncle nearly killed me just to see if I had any magic in me and my family still wondered if I had enough to get in here until my letter came. Hermione is the most brilliant student here and she'd be honored above all if she wasn't Muggleborn."

Hermione glanced at Neville, then stared at her shoes.

"And there's my point." said Harry, slapping the case. "Things are no better here than the city I grew up in. The difference between me and you two, is that I know how to handle being the freak. I know how to deal with the 'normal' people." Harry air quoted the word, normal. "The best part is, I can teach you two how as well. We don't have to live in the shadows of others… or be what others want you to be."

"We'll never be accepted." said Hermione. "They'll always be a bigot in every room."

"Who said anything about being accepted?" retorted Harry, grinning broadly.

"Dreaming of trophies you'll never own, Potter?" drawled Malfoy, standing just outside the trophy room.

Harry moved past Hermione and Neville; stepping out into the shadow of the Grand staircase. He was pleased to see Malfoy and his goons take a step backwards.

"I may have given Professor Snape permission to call me Potter, but you will address me as Harry Quinn." growled Harry. "As far as trophies go, those aren't my speed. I prefer more personal things as trophies… like a finger or an ear. Things that _mean something_."

"You don't scare me, P-Po… Quinn!" squeaked Malfoy, eying Harry's glare. "You're just covering for the fact that Quidditch tryouts begin tomorrow and you know you'd never be able to do it."

' _This stupid sport again_ ', thought Harry, rubbing his face with one hand.

"Tell me, Malfoy, will you be putting a broom –" began Harry.

Hermione cleared her throat loudly, interrupting Harry. He glanced back at her and smirked.

"Will you be trying out for Slytherin, Malfoy?" asked Harry, revising his question and smirking viciously.

"A formality – really." sneered Malfoy, regaining some confidence.

"Trying out to be a Bludger, Malfoy?" asked George, prancing down the staircase behind Malfoy and his goons.

"Or will you be Flint's new broom?" asked Fred, right beside George.

"Watch yourselves, Weasleys." spat Malfoy, spinning around to face the twins. "If someone accidentally cursed you both, your dear old daddy wouldn't be able to afford the loss – let alone the funeral."

Before Malfoy or his goons could flinch, Harry was directly behind them.

"Never turn your back on me, Malfoy." hissed Harry in Malfoy's ear, gripping him in the back of the neck and causing him to wince. Malfoy's goons did not dare interfere. "Red keeps going on and on in my common room about how dangerous Quidditch is – played up on flying brooms high in the air. Yet here you are, going to try out for your team just like him. He says accidents happen all the time. So tell me, which part of your anatomy do you want me to keep as a trophy when your first and only game ends?"

Footsteps warned Harry's sensitive ears of someone approaching and he released Malfoy; taking a step back from him. Sharpening your senses to your surroundings was something that Mr J had taught him. Unfortunately nobody had ever taught Malfoy, who spun on his heel and drew his wand on Harry just as Professor McGonagall turned the corner.

"Mr Malfoy!" growled Professor McGonagall. "Please explain what you are doing!"

Malfoy gaped at the Professor, but said nothing.

"Put your wand away at once!" demanded Professor McGonagall. "Next time I see you with your wand out and pointed at a student Mr Malfoy, I will see that you receive Detention for threatening a fellow student. Am I clear?"

"But… but..." is all Malfoy could manage while stowing his wand.

"Now, it is about time for supper." continued Professor McGonagall. "I'd advise all of you to either go to your common rooms or head to the Great Hall."

"Right away, Professor." said Harry.

He, Neville, Hermione, and the twins made their way into the Great Hall together. As Harry took a seat at the Gryffindor table, he looked back to see that Malfoy and his two goons must have went to their common room. About that time Luna and Lian entered the Great Hall, Luna waving merrily at Harry. Harry smiled, returning her wave.

"Now you'll have to try out for the team, Harry." said Neville, getting Harry's attention.

"Yeah mate." said Fred.

"You practically challenged ickle Malfoy." said George.

"You misunderstood." retorted Harry. "I merely inferred that accidents happen all the time and that something bad might happen to him – that's all."

"For the record." said Fred.

"We'll stick with you challenged him." said George.

"If anybody asks." said Fred, both twins smiling.

Hermione rubbed her temples as they waited for the food to appear. Harry was definitely going to have to find a way to loosen her up. The look in Neville's eyes told him that his trophy room speech had at least gotten through to one of them.

"If anybody asks what?" asked Ron Weasley, walking up the aisle between the tables; followed by Seamus and Dean.

"We'll deny we're related." said Fred.

"If anyone asks during tryouts tomorrow." said George.

Ron rolled his eyes as he sat down a few spaces from Harry. Dean and Seamus chuckled under their breath.

"Hey Harry, you going to tryout for Quidditch tomorrow?" asked Dean, earning a glare from Ron.

"Quinn doesn't know the first thing about Quidditch." snorted Ron. "He'd fall off his broom and mess up his scar."

"Hey Ron," said Neville a little too forcefully "w-when are you going to start c-calling Harry by his first name. He's in your bloody year and house, for Merlin's sake."

Every Gryffindor present went silent at hearing Neville address – well… anyone. Harry noted that he did stutter a bit, but the overall reaction was priceless. It took Ron a few moments before he could recover and respond.

"I'll starting calling him Harry when he stops calling me Red." said Ron, barely audible and staring at Neville in shock.

"It's alright Nev." said Harry. "He can keep calling me Quinn. I like calling him Red too much."

Ron's ears turned red as he turned his stare to Harry. The twins snickered at their brother's reaction, making his ears turn an even darker shade. Before Ron could retort, the food appeared; distracting him from the topic.

"What about it Harry?" chimed Seamus. "You going to tryout tomorrow?"

"Tell me, why should I?" retorted Harry. "I understand that it's the sport of wizards and witches, but what would I gain from it besides broken bones?"

"Some think it's fun." said Fred.

"While others do it for the glory." said George.

"Why do you two do it?" asked Harry, dipping some shepherds pie onto his plate.

"It's a bloody rush!" exclaimed the twins in unison.

"Sounds like fun." sniffed Harry. "Too bad I don't know the first thing about riding a broom. Too bad."

"We can teach you!" said the twins in unison.

"Tryouts are tomorrow." said Hermione, stating the obvious. "There's no way Harry can learn enough to compete in a game like Quidditch before then."

Harry glanced at Hermione. Suddenly, this sounded like a challenge – and he _loved_ challenges.

"Got some time this evening?" asked Harry, smiling at the twins.

Ron nearly choked on his food as the twins replied in unison, "Absolutely!"

"Are you mad?" exclaimed Hermione.

"I believe the jury's still out… literally." retorted Harry, smirking at her. "Do I have other plans?"

"But… why?" asked Hermione, ignoring his question.

"When in Rome… kill a few bulls… Or is that Spain?" retorted Harry, smirking devilishly.

 **~Ace~**

Later that evening the twins had convinced Madam Hooch to allow them to use the Quidditch pitch and a school broom to teach Harry the basics. Madam Hooch stuck around to help Harry and to make sure that nobody was injured. After getting a quick once over on the basics from an insistent Madam Hooch, she allowed the twins to take Harry up.

They started off slow, taking Harry twenty or so feet into the air. It was an incredible rush to be that high on just a slim piece of wood. They circled the pitch slowly as the twins gave him instructions. Soon they were taking him up higher and higher until they were level with the top of the goal posts.

Harry looked down to see Madam Hooch looking on and nodding encouragingly. He also noticed that Neville and Hermione had joined them in the stands.

"Ready to try some speed, Harry?" asked Fred.

"Sure!" replied Harry.

"Head down to the opposing goal posts, turn and come back." said George.

"Go as fast as you feel comfortable." said Fred.

Harry smirked then took off for the opposing goals, leaning low against his broom. The wind started humming in his ears the faster he went. He reached the goals a bit too fast and had to squeeze through one of the hoops before turning and heading back.

"Excellent flying, Harry!" exclaimed Fred.

"You're a natural!" exclaimed George.

The feeling reminded Harry of the first time he had pulled a job for Mr J. Harley had called him a natural then too. He wished Harley could see him now. He couldn't wait till he was able to serve up all that this school had to offer on a silver platter to Mr J. Of course, he knew that a few eggs would have to be broken before his omelet was ready.

"Bye-the-way, thanks for the holster and the new toys." said Harry, having his first true moment alone with the twins. He pushed up his left sleeve just enough to show that he was wearing it. "Incredible idea!"

"Nothing to it." said Fred, smiling broadly.

"Wizards use them for wands all the time." said George smirking.

"So why not for your Muggle fancy." said Fred.

"Where'd you pickup the artistic blades?" asked Harry excitedly. "I've never seen anything like them. They're sweet!"

"That's our secret!" exclaimed the twins in unison.

"You never asked why." said Harry, his curiosity getting the best of him. "How come?"

"None of our business why Dumbledore doesn't want you to have them." said Fred, shrugging his shoulders.

"All we know is that it's not right for him to discriminate." said George.

"Besides, we don't care." said Fred.

"As long as you don't use them." said George.

"On us!" said the twins in unison.

The sing song manner in which the twins answered could have been quite dizzying if Harry wasn't already use to it.

"No chance." smirked Harry. "Losing one of you two would be a damn waste!"

The three of them chuckled as they got back to it.

"Wait… who else carries my kind of knives around here?" asked Harry, catching on to what George had said.

"Some bloke in Ravenclaw named Joseph Wilson." said Fred.

"A sixth year, I believe." said George.

Harry made a mental note to find out more about this Ravenclaw.

They practiced another thirty minutes before landing beside a very impressed looking Madam Hooch. She wished Harry luck on tomorrow's tryouts before taking the school broom away from him and heading back to the castle. Neville and Hermione joined them as they exited the pitch. Neville was really excited while Hermione remained quiet. Harry could tell she was worried.

As they were headed back to the castle, a figure stepped into their path.

"Nice flying out there." said Hagrid, carrying his flowery umbrella.

The massive man was accompanied by a huge dog that was drooling worse than Harvey Two-Face.

"Thanks." said Harry politely. "I'm going to try out for the team tomorrow."

Neville glanced at Harry several times. ' _He was going to have to break Nev of that_ ' mused Harry to himself.

"Good luck then tomorrow, Harry." said Hagrid smiling. "Gryffindor was me house as well. Wanted to play, but was always too big for a broom."

"Too bad the sport wasn't football. You would have been a star." said Harry smirking at the thought of Hagrid stomping players into the dirt. When Neville looked at him confused, Harry added, "It's a Muggle sport kinda like Quidditch, only played on the ground."

"Foot-ball. Interesting." mused Neville aloud.

"Hagrid, is this your dog?" asked Harry, reverting his attention back to the big man.

"Oh yeah – this is me boar hound, Fang." replied Hagrid, focusing back onto Harry.

"Nice to meet ya, Fang." said Harry, extending his hand to the dog to smell, which nearly licked his arm off; tail wagging madly.

"Well, we'd best be getting back." said Fred.

"To the castle." said George.

"Good seeing you, Hagrid." said the twins in unison.

Hagrid smiled broadly, waving as they headed up to the castle. Harry thought the over-sized man was a good hearted individual, but he felt like there was something of a dark side to him. He just couldn't put his finger on it yet.

 **~Ace~**

The next day, Harry walked with Neville and an apprehensive Hermione as they headed up to Defense Against The Dark Arts from the Great Hall. He was extremely interested in getting to this class as Hermione could barely speak of this Professor Lockhart without breathing heavy. She was nervously stuffing a book entitled, 'Voyages With Vampires' back into her satchel that was supposedly written by this Professor as they walked. He had read over the book and found his writing to be bloated. Neville informed him that Professor Lockhart was a fancy for most of the witches in the castle.

When Harry entered the classroom he nearly jumped for joy. ' _The man was as arrogant as he looked in the picture on the back of his books!_ ' thought Harry excitedly. Professor Lockhart was standing in the middle of the classroom, offering to sign student books while a life-size painted portrait of himself smiled and waved from across the room. Harry watched Hermione with mischief in his eyes as he waited for her to jump into the book line. She spotted his stares and instead made her way to a nearby empty table. He and Neville quickly joining her; Hermione refusing to look at him.

"Well hello there!" greeted Professor Lockhart flamboyantly, once he was finished signing books. "Welcome to Defense Against The Dark Arts – taught by me, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart."

Harry bit his lip as the self proclaimed celebrity waited for applause – which most of the witches in the room provided.

"I Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award will be teaching you the ways of dueling and self defense." said Professor Lockhart commandingly. "But don't let this winning smile fool you. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

It seemed to Harry as though the poor fellow was waiting for someone to laugh. Not one to let the moment pass him by, Harry broke out into a sadistic laugh. The Ravenclaws were sharing class with Gryffindor today and by the looks on their faces, it was clear that they were as shocked by Harry's outburst as Professor Lockhart.

"Well now," said Professor Lockhart, attempting to recover once Harry had finished. "I hope that you've all brought a complete set of my books — as they will be the curriculum for this year."

"Excellent!" continued Professor Lockhart as everyone nodded. "I thought today that we'd start out with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read up and how much you've taken in."

Professor Lockhart handed out the test papers to every student before returning to the front of the class.

"You have thirty minutes to complete the test…" said Professor Lockhart "starting… NOW!"

Harry looked down at his paper and nearly burst out laughing again. Every single question was about Lockhart himself! Fifty-four questions, ranging from his favorite color to his ideal prefect birthday gift! Harry had to bite his fist to stop a giggling fit. The poor Ravenclaws glanced at Harry nervously; still not use to his antics. Neville simply stared at the questions in disbelief while Hermione briskly worked away at the questions. Harry knew none of these answers, so he answered them the best that he could.

When thirty minutes finally expired, Professor Lockhart gathered up the tests and began skimming over them.

"Tut – tut." said Professor Lockhart, frowning. "Hardly any of you knew my favorite color or my true life's ambition."

Professor Lockhart finished skimming over the tests before calling out, "Who is Harry Quinn?"

Harry raised his hand, earning a glare from Hermione.

"Some sort of joker, are we?" asked Professor Lockhart.

"Not yet, but with some work…" sighed Harry optimistically.

"Just so you know, that would not be my ideal birthday gift." said Professor Lockhart sternly.

"Really?" asked Harry. "I figured a three way with Fate and Destiny was right up your alley!"

The room broke out into laughter. It took a few minutes for Professor Lockhart to regain control.

"Settle down, settle down all of you!" shouted Professor Lockhart. "Five points from Gryffindor, Mr… hang on…" continued Professor Lockhart, now focusing on Harry's forehead "I've changed my mind. It's the first class for us and I'd hate to start off with a negative. Besides, another student deserves my praise! Who is Ms Hermione Granger?"

Hermione's arm shook as she raised her hand.

"Excellent work, Ms Granger!" turning his attention away from Harry. "Perfect marks! Ten points to Gryffindor for doing so well!"

Hermione turned three shades of red. Professor Lockhart's eyes flickered back to Harry before moving on.

"Now, today I have something exciting for you!" exclaimed Professor Lockhart dramatically. "Under this cover on my desk I have some of the most fearsome creatures you'll ever want to meet!"

The class held their breath as they waited. Harry sniffed dryly as he doubted that a Solomon Grundy or a Gorilla Grodd was under there.

"I ask that none of you scream as it may provoke them." continued Professor Lockhart dramatically, grasping the cover then jerking it away. "I give you… _Freshly caught Cornish pixies!_ "

Harry wasn't for certain if he should laugh or not until Ron, Seamus and Dean fell out of their seats laughing. Professor Lockhart looked extremely upset by their reaction.

"Laugh now boys," said Professor Lockhart "but it might not be so funny if you had to round them up! They're devilishly clever and as fast as lightning. Let's see what you make of them!"

Professor Lockhart opened the cage and the little blue creatures went crazy; flying every which way. The room went into panic.

"Come now!" taunted Professor Lockhart. "They're just pixies! Do something with them!"

"Can we kill them?" shouted Harry, gripping his left wrist.

"W-WHAT?" retorted Professor Lockhart, looking shocked.

"CAN – WE – KILL – THEM?" repeated Harry as loud as he could through the chaos.

"NO!" shouted Professor Lockhart. "YOU CAN ONLY CAPTURE THEM!"

"OH WELL!" shouted Harry, as he grabbed his satchel and turned to leave the classroom. "BYE!"

Ten to fifteen minutes later, Hermione and Neville caught up with him on his way to Charms class.

"I cannot believe that you walked out on class and left us in there!" hissed Hermione.

"I can't believe you stayed." retorted Harry calmly. "How'd the hunting go?"

"It was a nightmare!" exclaimed Neville. "After a minute or two, Professor Lockhart attempted some mad spell that did nothing then bolted out of the classroom!"

"Did you get them rounded up, Hermione?" asked Harry as though it was the obvious answer.

"Yes we did – no thanks to you!" huffed Hermione. "And Neville, I've already told you – Professor Lockhart was just giving us a chance to get hands-on experience."

"I wonder how many wizards he killed to get those stories for his books?" mused Harry aloud.

"How can you insinuate such a thing?" asked Hermione in shock.

"I'd rather believe that he stole those stories rather than made them up." retorted Harry. "Besides, I don't think he has the brains to invent them."

"I know that the rules don't apply with you Harry, but you shouldn't go around saying things like that." scolded Hermione.

"He's probably right, Hermione." said Neville, straightening his robes.

"Show me proof, then I'll believe it!" huffed Hermione, folding her arms.

"You just had it, Hermione," said Harry "and you scored perfect marks too."

"How does that test prove anything?" retorted Hermione.

"It was all about him." said Harry. "He only talked about things that pertained to him. If he had done any of that stuff, it would have been on the test. He would have been dying to talk about his accomplishments!"

Hermione went silent and Harry could see that he was bursting the exalted bubble she had for this Professor Lockhart. He hated to upset her, but she needed to understand that Lockhart was not one to look to for knowledge or advice.

"Hello Harry Quinn, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger." said Luna, startling the three.

Luna was exiting Charms class with Lian and Ginny, just as they were about to enter.

"Luna, you don't have to use our last names all the time." said Hermione, sounding slightly amused.

"Okay, Hermione." said Luna dreamily and smiling. "Harry, we heard that you were going to try out for Quidditch. May we come cheer you on?"

"I'd be honored." replied Harry, bowing slightly and smiling devilishly. "Cheer! Roar! _Make a scene!_ "

The three girls giggled at his antics, waving as they headed off to their next class.

"Before you say anything," said Harry, spotting Hermione's face "I like to have fun and so should you. Laughter is _food for the soul_."

"Yeah, but too much _food_ is bad for you." retorted Hermione as they walked into the classroom together.

 **~Ace~**

When supper finally rolled around, Harry finished off his plate of food quickly then made his way down to the Quidditch pitch with Hermione and Neville in tow. It was time for the Gryffindor House Quidditch tryouts.

" _Time to play!"_ mused Harry darkly to himself as he put on his tryout gear in the Gryffindor locker room.

Harry finished strapping up his boots then made his way out of the locker room and onto the pitch to join Seamus, Ron, Dean, and two older Gryffindors that Harry did not know; a husky boy and a beautiful dark complected girl. Most of the Gryffindors were in the stands watching along with Hermione, Neville and the twins. Luna and Lian along with several other Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were in attendance as well.

"Alright you lot," said Oliver Wood, pacing in front of them "there are only two vacated positions on the team, but if you fly well enough you can still make the sub-list in the event of an accident or injury. Now, Chasers Leon Pitts and Marc Spein graduated last year. Katie Bell is moving from Seeker to Chaser, thus leaving a Chaser position and the Seeker spot vacated."

"I won't be a reserve this year." hissed the older girl.

Harry glanced over at the others and was delighted to see that only the older girl looked confident. Wood went over the rules of the game and what each ball was. He released the snitch and the tiny winged ball took off like a bullet.

"Now," continued Wood "first we'll start off with Chaser trials. Everyone mount their brooms and lift off on my signal. Everybody ready? Excellent! On three! One… Two… Three!"

Harry shoved off, rising high into the air; following Wood. Once they were high enough, Wood began with basic quaffle passing exercises. Harry did well, despite what Wood referred to as his 'unconventional play'. He played rough, physically challenging the others for every pass. He also challenged his competition with his mental mind games. His high pitched singing seemed to distract Ron and Seamus while the older boy, Cormac McLaggen, missed catching the quaffle twice when Harry yelled out, "LOOK OUT! HE'S ON YOUR BROOM AGAIN!"

The dodging and defending exercises saw McLaggen called on three times for fouls. Each time, the large boy argued with Wood – calling him jealous of his abilities after the third call. By the time they reached the scoring exercises, it was clear to see that Dean and the older girl named Alicia Spinnet were the best Chasers out there. Neither had been distracted once by Harry's antics.

"Now our last exercise is for the Seeker's position." said Wood, gathering the competitors around him; hovering twenty feet above the pitch. "This exercise is very simple. If you catch the snitch, you win."

Ron, Seamus and Spinnet joined Harry for the Seeker tryouts while Dean and McLaggen decided to wait with Wood. Harry watched as the other three began circling the pitch. He started to follow them before remembering what Mr J had taught him; _you'll never get ahead by doing what others do_. He pulled on his broom and soared high into the air so that he could see the entire pitch at once. The sun was peaking in around a cloud now, casting light and shadows onto the stands and goal posts. Something glittered in the sunlight near the base of a goal post. It was the snitch and he could tell that he was the only one to spot it. If he simply dove for it, the others would beat him to it. That's when he decided to do something 'Ace' would do.

Harry angled himself to where Ron, Seamus and Spinnet were directly between himself and his objective. Then with a jolt, he dived towards the three broom riders screaming and laughing, "I HAVE YOU NOW MY PRETTY!"

"GO HARRY GO!" screamed Luna from somewhere in the stands as Harry pelted towards his fellow competitors.

Spinnet spiraled straight up, Ron screamed and Seamus sped away towards the opposite end of the pitch. The wind from Harry blistered Ron as he blew past him, diving for his intended target. He caught the snitch merely five feet from the ground as he fell from his broom at the same time. Wood and the others landed next to him as he slowly got to his feet.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BLOODY MIND!" shouted Ron.

Harry opened his hand and held up the snitch.

"Bravo Quinn!" roared Wood with delight. "Incredible catch!"

"He's mad!" exclaimed Ron, his ears turning red again. "He could have bloody well done me in!"

"Clever is the word I would use, Weasley." retorted Wood. "Besides, you look like you'll live."

"Brilliant is what I'd call it." said Spinnet, looking at Harry in awe.

"Okay," said Wood, turning to face the other potential Gryffindor players "our new Chaser is Alicia Spinnet!"

Harry clapped along with everyone else, except for McLaggen who merely grunted. The Gryffindor crowd in the stands above them began to clap and make noise when they realized that Alicia had been chosen. Harry heard a girl in the stands shout, "GO ALICIA!"

"As for our new Seeker – there's no doubt. Harry Quinn!" exclaimed Wood, looking as though he'd already won every upcoming match.

The crowd in the stands cheered and Harry's fellow competitors clapped except for Ron who looked as though he could get sick. Harry stared at Ron, smiling innocently. He knew 'Red' had issues with him and normally he wouldn't care, but he could become an issue to his plans. There was only two options: neutralize the issue or find a place to 'store things'.

As Harry made his way off the pitch, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Lian, the twins and many other students that Harry hadn't met yet came streaming down to congratulate the new Gryffindor players.

"Excellent move out there, Harry!" shouted Neville, patting Harry on the shoulder.

"Amazing dive!" shouted the twins in unison.

" _What can I say_... I had some great teachers." smirked Harry as they exited the pitch; heading up to the castle.

"Hey Luna, how'd you know that Harry had seen the snitch?" asked Neville.

"I didn't." replied Luna dreamily. "I thought he was going after the others."

Several people laughed, but Harry just grinned devilishly at Luna before giving her a wink. ' _She truly is a kindred spirit_ ', mused Harry as Luna smiled brightly.

"My thoughts... not yours!" exclaimed Harry, looking up at the sky.

"Who are you talking to, Harry?" asked Hermione, furrowing her brow.

"Shhhh! They're listening." replied Harry, pointing up.

Everyone around Harry stared at him for a moment before shaking their heads and laughing at what was becoming known as 'Harry being Harry'.

* * *

"Mistah J?" asked Harley tentatively.

'Mistah J' was sitting in the lush arm chair in the study of Malfoy Manor. He was clutching a letter in one hand while occasionally flicking the cage of the owl that had brought it. The owl hooted at him indignantly.

"Ah Harley," sniffed Mistah J "our little Ace is growing up. He's written his first prison letter!"

"Prison letter?" repeated Harley, sounding startled.

"Observe." said Mistah J, tossing the letter to Harley. "He knew that someone would be reading his letter from his oppressive dwelling, better known as _Hogwarts_."

"Do you think they know we're here?" asked Harley.

"The owl did, and now so will they." replied Mistah J dramatically. "Unfortunately, we'll have to leave this cushy abode in search of newer surroundings."

"I know a place you can go." said Narcissa Malfoy, speaking up from the corner.

"Careful, pet." said Ivy, stepping out of the shadows. "I didn't give you permission to speak."

Narcissa jerked involuntarily at the word, 'pet'.

"Now now, Ivy." said Mistah J, leaning forward. "Let's hear what she has to say."

"T-There's a p-place up north in Scotland." said Narcissa nervously. "It's a magical safe house. Not even my husband knows of it. We'll be safe there."

" _We'll_ be safe?" repeated Mistah J, tilting his head to one side.

"Take me with you and I'll take you there." said Narcissa imploringly. "If things go a wry, I can help."

"And leave your life behind?" mused Mistah J softly. "Who will nurse your hubby back to health? I know shattered knees mend quickly in your world, but it's the mental scars that hurt the most."

"I know you were going to kill him." retorted Narcissa. "Leave him alive and take me. He'll do nothing against you as long as you have me."

Mistah J started laughing hysterically for several minutes before growling, " _I love it!_ "

"Forgive an ill informed girl, Harley dear," said Ivy, striding across the room and ignoring Mistah J's antics "but what did Harry's letter say?"

"In essence," hummed Mistah J, causing Ivy to roll her eyes "it says that he was taken against his will, but has found something of value. He wants more time to investigate and he's already building up a gang. Knowing our dear Harry, he'll turn the place upside down before he's done – _in more ways than one_."

Mistah J sprung from the cushy arm chair then strode across the study to where Narcissa sat nervously on a small sofa. He flopped down beside her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

" _Now tell me_ , what things might Harry find to do at this – _Hogwarts_?" whispered Mistah J viciously into her ear. "Be a good little witch and I'll leave daddy Warbucks alive when we leave."

"That it?" scoffed Ivy. "We're just going to leave Harry there?"

"No no no, my poisonous counterpart." replied Mistah J, tilting his head to one side. "We're not leaving the land of tea and crumpets without my Ace. However, like any good hand one has to be... patient. Besides, that bumbling British Rip saw us enter these majestic shores. I'm sure by now the Bat is flapping his way here."

"I thought the Bat was finished." said Ivy, placing a hand on her hip in defiance.

"Ivy my dear, the Bat's not gone until I'm having bat wings for breakfast." sighed Mistah J, laughing sadistically at his own mirth.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Chapters remain unbeta'd but I'm hoping that changes soon (fingers crossed)! For now, any mistakes are on me. Please review and let me know what you think. I really enjoy reading reviews and getting PMs. This chapter is a diving board. Things are going to start really moving in the next chapter.  
**

 **To answer a common question: for those of you wondering which Joker this is... channel the Hamill! As always, thanks for reading!**


	4. Harry's World

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Four: Harry's World**

"You wished to see me, Professor?" asked Harry, easing through the doorway to Professor McGonagall's office.

"Yes, Mr Quinn." replied Professor McGonagall. "Please come in, shut the door and have a seat."

Harry surveyed his Head of House's office as he entered and found very few surprises. It was neat, clean and everything was exactly where it should be. The only surprise was the sheer amount of Quidditch themed nick knacks spread throughout the office.

"Mr Quinn," began Professor McGonagall "it has been brought to my attention that you have made the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. First, let me congratulate you on making the team. I know that Mr Wood is a fierce competitor and that you must be very good for him to have chosen you."

"Thank you, Professor." said Harry, smiling and inclining his head.

"Now, in order for you to compete, you will need a quality broom." said Professor McGonagall.

"I agree, Professor. But Wood said that it wasn't permitted for me to travel to Diagon Alley to shop for a broom during school term." said Harry politely, wondering where this was going.

"Mr Wood is correct, Mr Quinn." said Professor McGonagall. "However, I have acquired a Nimbus 2001 for you to use as Gryffindor Seeker." Professor McGonagall reached down and extracted package from beside her desk then handed it to him. "It is the finest broom available. I believe that you will find it to your liking."

Harry opened the package to reveal a highly polished black broom with 'Nimbus 2001' etched into the handle in gold lettering. It was sleek, eloquent and he could feel the power emanating from it as he held it. He couldn't stop the smirk that crept across his face.

"How much do I owe you, Professor?" asked Harry, looking up.

"It's a gift, Mr Quinn." replied Professor McGonagall, smiling. "Enjoy."

"This must have cost you a fortune." said Harry frowning.

"Then you best make sure that I didn't waste my galleons." retorted Professor McGonagall, a wry smile covering her face.

"Make room for that trophy, Professor, cause Harry Quinn is gonna make sure you have it." said Harry, a determined look covering his face.

"Play by the rules, Mr Quinn." warned Professor McGonagall sharply. "I won't permit any cheating of any kind."

"Yes Professor, I'll play by the rules." said Harry, nodding; fully aware that she wouldn't hesitate suspending him if he bent the rules too far.

"One more thing, your detention will be this Friday at eight in the evening with Professor Snape." said Professor McGonagall.

"Yes Professor." said Harry, wondering to himself what Professor Snape had done to deserve such a punishment.

"That is all, Mr Quinn." said Professor McGonagall. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend, but remember that tomorrow begins another week of learning."

"I'll be rested, Professor." said Harry, smirking and nodding as he left her office.

"Just when you think that you've got someone figured out." mused Harry aloud as he walked down the corridor, new broom in hand. "She'll have her cup, cause Harry Quinn pays his debts."

 **~Ace~**

"What did Professor McGonagall want?" asked Neville, as Harry joined he and Hermione in the castle grounds.

"She wanted to tell me about my detention." said Harry smirking, holding the wrapped up broom behind his back.

"What's that behind your back?" asked Hermione, noticing the packaging.

Before Harry could answer, the laughter of the Slytherin Quidditch Team cut across them as they made their way up from the Quidditch pitch.

"Wonder what they're so happy about?" mused Harry aloud.

"Can't be anything good." said Fred, as he and George walked up the shore of the Black Lake to join Harry, Neville and Hermione.

"They don't normally laugh." said George.

"Unless someone is hurting." said Fred frowning.

"They have no idea what hurting is." said Harry darkly. "Not yet, at least."

"Look Marcus, it's the new Gryffindor Seeker." sneered Draco Malfoy, emerging from the middle of the pack.

Marcus Flint, Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, sneered in Harry's direction.

"Sneered? Looked more like a bit of trapped gas." mused Harry aloud.

"Malfoy said Seeker, not sneered." said Neville, looking at Harry in confusion.

"Make the team, Malfoy?" asked Harry casually, ignoring Neville's comment.

"Naturally." sneered Malfoy.

"Nice brooms there." said Fred, staring at the brooms the Slytherins were holding.

"Where did ya get them?" asked George.

"A gift." said Flint. "From Draco's father. Donated them to the Slytherin team before the start of term."

"Don't worry, Weasley." sneered Malfoy. "I'm sure that your father would do something nice for your team if he could. Probably have to sell that hollow you live in to afford one of these brooms though."

The Slytherins howled with laughter, attracting the attention of the other students that were out enjoying the day, including Luna, Ginny and several members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Those _are_ nice brooms." said Harry, a hint of manic excitement in his voice. "I believe that they're probably as nice as mine."

The laughter stopped immediately as Harry presented his surprise of the day to everyone at large.

"A Nimbus 2001?" said Wood awestruck as he approached the group. "Harry, how did you get one of those? Wait, how did the Slytherins get them? Is someone handing out new brooms?"

"No Wood." said Harry, smirking at all the stunned faces. "Malfoy apparently needed a bribe to get on the Slytherin team. As for my broom… what can I say… sorry I don't have enough to buy the whole team one."

"My father didn't buy my way onto the team, Quinn!" growled Malfoy. "You may have a broom like mine, but you have no experience riding it!"

"Correct, Malfoy." retorted Harry sadistically; his eyes widening. "I only use magical brooms for flying."

Everyone except for the Slytherins roared with laughter at Harry's insinuation. Malfoy's eyes popped with rage at the mockery.

"I'll show you, Quinn!" spat Malfoy.

"PLEASE! DON'T!" shouted Harry, covering his eyes with his forearm.

The twins were laughing so hard that they fell to the ground, holding their sides. Neville was pink with laughter and Hermione had hidden her face beneath her robes. Flint grabbed Malfoy by the shoulder and dragged him away before he could say or do anything else.

"Seriously though," said Wood, wiping his face to regain his composure "those brooms mean that we're going to have to train a lot harder if we want to beat them. But this," Wood took Harry's broom from his hands "will be the great equalizer with Harry aboard, if he plays as well as he did during tryouts."

"Please Oliver," snorted Fred "please don't ask."

"To ride it!" snorted George, as the twins fell back to the ground in laughter as Wood quickly handed the broom back to Harry, laughing as he did.

After everyone regained self control, Harry sat down with Neville, Hermione, Luna and the twins and told them how he came to have the Nimbus 2001. Harry offered Ginny to join them, but she just mumbled something about the lake and walked away. Mr J had taught him how to spot someone with something to hide and she was definitely hiding something… and Harry _loved_ secrets.

"Is Professor McGonagall related to you, Harry?" asked Luna dreamily, playing with blades of grass.

"No way." replied Harry, shuddering at the thought. "When I was younger, I used to have nightmares about people coming and taking me away from my aunt. They would always place me in a school full of nuns that were bent on teaching me how to sing in a choir. I guarantee that somewhere in that dream she was the head nun!"

"Oh Harry." chuckled Hermione.

"Maybe she just enjoys." said Fred.

"Harry's wonderful sense of humor." said George, smirking.

"Don't think she has a sense of humor." sighed Neville.

"Professor McGonagall is strict, but cares for her students." scolded Hermione. "Sounds to me like she's just trying to be nice."

"She wants to win the Quidditch Cup." said the twins in unison, nodding to each other as though making up their minds. "Desperately."

"Whatever it is," growled Harry dramatically "I'm gonna _love_ playing tag with _Malfoy_."

When they finally headed inside for the day, Harry decided it was time to do some exploring on his own. There was something that he needed to follow up on.

* * *

"Who does that _Potter_ think he is!" sneered Draco Malfoy, kicking over a stack of books in the Slytherin Common Room.

"A right scary git." said Blaise Zabini. "And Draco, would you mind not kicking over other people's stuff while you're having a fit?"

"You think he's scary?" asked Draco, raising an eyebrow in Blaise's direction.

"You call him Potter down here." retorted Blaise while picking up his books. "I dare you to call him anything but Quinn to his face."

"When you do, Draco, please let me be there." said a fifth-year girl with long silvery hair and pale blue eyes, as she strolled gracefully into the common room. "I would so want to watch him destroy you – _slowly_. _"_

"Stop fantasizing, Paige." sneered Draco. "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

"No fantasy, Draco." replied Paige, smiling darkly. "Just sounded like a bit of fun."

"What you on about, Turk?" hissed Pansy, making her way over to them.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how Quinn has made my Gryffindor three." replied Paige Turk casually.

"Gryffindor three?" repeated Blaise.

"Three Gryffindors that I would shag senseless if given the chance." said Paige, smiling devilishly.

"That's disgusting." said Adrian Pucey; a fourth-year with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He pushed himself up from the corner chair and made his way over to join, apparently, the only interesting conversation in the room. "I mean, you're talking about a bunch of Gryffindors as though they're trophies worth having. Besides, this Quinn is what – five?"

"He's twelve, Adrian." replied Paige, sounding bored. "If you exuded half the confidence that Quinn does while he's standing still, I'd shag you right here in front of everyone."

Draco had stomached enough from Paige. While he knew that she was all talk, it revolted him to hear anyone praise or fear the little puke that had insulted him in front of his new team.

"Sorry Paige, but I'm going to wipe Potter from your Gryffindor three." spat Draco. "I'm going to expose Potter for who he really is – a coward."

Without another word, Draco removed himself from the conversation and exited the common room. He needed to get some air. Night had fallen at Hogwarts and now the castle would be nearly deserted; most students in their common room or the library.

"Wait up." said Blaise, climbing the steps behind Draco.

"Heard you coming," said Draco "but I thought you were Crabbe or Goyle."

"Hope I was Pansy?" retorted Blaise, smirking.

"Maybe." admitted Draco to his only real friend. "Not sure though why."

"Not sure?" repeated Blaise. "Listen mate, do I need to explain how things work?"

The two broke down laughing as they reached the top of the stairs, but stopped immediately as an insane laugh echoed from a corridor to the left of the Grand staircase. Instinctively, the two Slytherins withdrew their wands.

"Let's have a look." whispered Blaise.

"After you." whispered Draco.

The two boys edged around the staircase and into the corridor. Aside from the crackling of the torches and the sound of their own footsteps, there was nothing but silence.

"What do you think it was?" whispered Draco.

"Dunno." whispered Blaise. "May have been Peeves."

"Peeves?" repeated Draco. "My father said that he was banished from the castle after last year."

"Dumbledore probably went soft and let him back in." whispered Blaise.

The boys were about to leave the corridor when a classroom door creaked open behind them. Draco spun to face the door, a curse on the tip of his tongue.

"Easy Draco." whispered Blaise. "Let's have a look. Maybe we'll see something worth while."

"Sick, mate." whispered Draco, thinking of what they might find going on in an abandoned classroom.

"I mean for leverage." whispered Blaise. "Catch a couple of students, or better yet a professor, doing something they shouldn't…"

Blaise and Draco slowly crept into the classroom, only to find it completely empty.

"Well that was disappointing." sighed Blaise.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them; throwing them into total darkness.

" _Lumos!_ " shouted Draco, igniting the tip of his wand like a miniature star.

Draco heard a wand clatter to the ground and turned to see something that made his blood run cold. Blaise was standing rigid; a silvery blade pressed against his throat from behind. As his wand light filled the area, it illuminated the face of the knife wielder. Potter stood there holding Blaise from behind, his face covered with white face paint; his eyes and mouth outlined in black.

"Let him go, Potter!" growled Draco.

Potter let out an insane laugh that pierced Draco's heart.

"I've told you already, Malfoy." growled Potter. "The name is Harry Quinn. Seeing though as you cannot remember it too well, maybe I'll carve it into your arm or his forehead. Now, be a good snake and light those candles, then toss your wand over here."

Draco knew he had no choice. He flicked his wand over candles on the desk, lighting them as his mother had taught him, before tossing his wand onto the floor at Potter's feet.

"You'll be expelled." hissed Draco.

"Only if you tell…" sighed Potter "and we must not speak of this, lest the Jabberwocky comes! Beware the Jabberwocky!"

"What you on about, Po… Quinn?" asked Draco, deciding it best not to press Potter further.

"In the moonlight, it stood fierce. The ground did tremble in its wake." recited Harry. "All the weak were torn asunder. As the monster's wrath did break!"

"We won't." grunted Blaise, looking frantic. "Let me go and we won't tell about your uh… Jabberwocky."

"See Draco," sang Potter "he knows how to play."

"Let Blaise go and we won't tell anyone about this." lied Draco.

"Oh Malfoy, _you're a terrible liar_." growled Potter. "You see, this is a special knife… probably my favorite. It leaves scars that no magic can heal… or so I'm told. I'm dying to find out!"

"What do you want from us?" demanded Draco.

"Now we've reached the moment of truth!" shouted Potter. "I want nothing. Nothing from you or your friend here. You see… I'm going to cause chaos… more chaos than anyone has ever witnessed before. You two are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is no place that you can run or turn to that can shield you from what is to come."

Potter placed a foot on top of Draco and Blaise's wands before lowering his knife, then shoved Blaise across the room. Potter then reached down and scooped up their wands; the knife suddenly disappearing from view.

"Why is your face painted?" asked a wide-eyed Blaise, massaging his throat.

"You can see it too?" retorted Potter, touching his face with his free hand and looking shocked. "Only those doomed to the Jabberwocky's wrath can see the face paint!"

"Give us our wands and we'll leave you to whatever it is you were doing in here." said Draco, trying not to sound scared.

"You want your sticks?" taunted Potter, his head lowered; a leering smile stretched across his face all the while his eyes still fixed on Draco. "Fine."

Potter tossed the wands at their feet. Draco and Blaise immediately dove for their wands, but instead found themselves slammed backwards into the floor; looking up into the manic face of Potter as his wand tip hovered inches from Draco's nose. A pain in Draco's chest told him that somehow Potter had managed to physically hit him in the chest as he dove for his wand. That kind of agility and speed was unnerving, to say the least.

"Still want those sticks, woodpeckers?" taunted Potter smiling even broader. "They pose no threat to me or the Jabberwocky. This asylum has a new keeper… and his name is Harry Quinn. Now, Hermione was showing me a severing spell earlier so that I could understand more how the magical world performed common tasks. It looked dead useful for things like carving or circumcision… but I haven't had the opportunity to test it out…"

"I'm begging you, Quinn," said Blaise, his hands raised in surrender "please let us go. We'll leave our wands here and collect them in the morning if you'll just let us go."

Draco would have loved to have slapped Blaise, but under the circumstances he thought better of it.

"Now, we have a deal." growled Potter.

Draco watched as Potter collected their wands and backed away. He and Blaise slowly got back to their feet, all the while keeping a close eye on their painted adversary. Without another word, Blaise walked slowly towards the door; hands still raised in surrender. Draco followed, but refused to raise his hands.

"Bye boys." sang Potter. "Your sticks will be here in the morning. Oh whatever will you do without them tonight!"

When Draco and Blaise were safely in the corridor and jogging back to their common room, Draco slugged Blaise in the arm.

"Bloody hell, Draco." growled Blaise, rubbing his shoulder. "You should be thanking me, not hitting me!"

"You surrendered to a Gryffindor and you relented your wand." hissed Draco, completely frustrated at his friend.

"Slytherins live to fight another day," retorted Blaise "and I'll be damned if Quinn is a Gryffindor!"

* * *

"Some people would think that I gained nothing more than a bit 'o sport from tonight." said Harry, staring at himself in a small mirror that hung on the classroom wall. "Truth is, now I own Malfoy and I will use him to bring the entire House of Slytherin under my control. Don't believe me? Just watch and see."

A door at the far end of the classroom creaked open.

"So sorry gentlemen." said Harry, spinning around. "I was having so much fun that I temporarily forgot that you were still here."

Two large figures walked through the shadows, making their way towards Harry.

"That was amazing." said Gregory Goyle in a thick tone.

"Yeah, we've never seen Draco that scared before." said Vincent Crabbe.

"You gentlemen wanted a demonstration as to what I was talking about." said Harry. "Well, there you have it. The weak will run and the 'normal people' will hide in the shadows."

"Why are you wearing paint on your face?" asked Vincent.

"People have forty-two emotions, Vincent." replied Harry. "My mentor, Mr J, calls this 'war paint'. When worn by the right people, it can channel all your emotions. The secret is, you have to earn the right to wear this paint. My mask is the face I wear each day to class. This is who I truly am."

"I'm tired of Draco treating us like we're stupid." spat Vincent. "All last year he acted as though we were his house-elves."

"Is that why you sought me out, Vincent?" asked Harry.

"What you did on the train and by the trophy room." said Gregory. "You bested Draco both times. No one has ever done that before."

Harry truly doubted that statement, but thought it best not to argue.

"Everyone is talking about you, Quinn." said Vincent. "You're not the Boy-Who-Lived that anyone expected. You make people nervous."

"What do you want from me, Vincent?" asked Harry, smirking.

"Teach me to wear the 'war paint'." breathed Vincent greedily. "Teach me to show the 'normal people' that they answer to the 'freaks'!"

Harry grinned darkly at Vincent and Gregory; his eyes dancing with mischief.

"Is that what you want as well, Gregory?" asked Harry.

"I want to follow someone strong and able to do what he says." replied Gregory. "I want power."

"Are you willing to stand along side the freaks of all houses?" asked Harry.

Both boys nodded.

"Very good." growled Harry. "I will teach you and lead you. You will act 'normal' during the week and we will meet here on weekends."

"You mean we have to listen to Draco?" asked Gregory, frowning hard.

"For now." replied Harry. "Think of it as 'two-face training'. I promise that you'll be the ones laughing in the end as their perfect little world burns. We all will."

Both boys nodded again, smiling darkly as they did.

"Alright, off to your 'normal' lives." said Harry. "I have some other things to attend to... and remember, while listening to Malfoy just sing to yourself, _'there are no strings on me, there are no strings on me, there may be strings on some of you fools, but there ain't no strings on me!'_ "

Harry could hear the two large boys singing softly to themselves as they left the room. They definitely weren't the sharpest knives he had ever owned, but he had learned long ago that muscle didn't require more than one brain. Besides, what they lacked in intellect, they made up for in a desire for power.

Harry had come to realize that there was just too much at Hogwarts to ever let go of. The entire castle itself and everyone in it was a treasure. One that he would deliver to Mr J with a bright green bow. If Mr J didn't want it, then he'd keep it for himself.

* * *

 _SMASH!_

The Joker looked up from his 'musings' at the large desk in the study to see Harley swing her bat back onto her shoulder after obliterating yet another wooden table. It was the third she had destroyed that evening.

"Something troubling you, Harley dear?" asked the Joker, propping his head up on his hands.

"When we gonna go get Harry?" asked Harley, frowning and pouting as she turned to look at him. "I'm gettin' tired of waiting, Mistah J. I want my Harry back."

"Patience, Harley dear." cooed the Joker. "It was clear by Harry's letter that he wanted more time to case this _Hogwarts_. I'm sure if things get out of control, he'll let us know. When the time is right, we'll go get our Harry back."

"What's you workin' on?" asked Harley, biting her lower lip and not acknowledging what he had said.

"Oh, just looking over a few things." replied the Joker. "Idle hands and all… might as well do something and this – Diagon Alley – looks mighty interesting."

"Thought you said we couldn't enter it without gettin' caught?" asked Harley, her interest peeked.

"That was my first assumption, but the books in this 'safe house' seem to contradict that." chuckled the Joker darkly. "It seems that this Black family is even darker than the Malfoys."

"Do you trust this _Narcissa_ , puddin'?" asked Harley, taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

"My dear Harley, why would I do that?" retorted the Joker, noting the playful tone in the way she called him puddin'.

"I don't know." replied Harley, rolling her bat on her shoulder. "Thought maybe you were starting to fancy her or somethin'."

" _Her?_ " repeated the Joker dramatically. "How could I possibly fancy her with you around? Besides, she's Ivy's play toy… and we know how well Ivy likes to share."

"Then why you so interested in her family?" asked Harley, poking at the books in front of her.

" _Because they were dark_." growled the Joker wickedly. "You see, Narcissa's _sister_ is all locked up for doing some very naughty things. But it's her cousin that really has my attention."

"What did her cousin do?" asked Harley.

"According to Narcissa, he did nothing." replied the Joker. "He was setup – framed by some runt and sent to prison without even a trial. That kinda anger can be dead useful."

"Even if ya find a way to break him out. What makes you think that he'd come work for you?" asked Harley, swirling the tip of her bat against the floor. "I mean, if he was setup and all."

"Oh, that's the best part!" chuckled the Joker darkly. "Turns out that your half sister and brother-in-law named him as Harry's godfather before they died. For that, I believe he'll help us out."

"Sirius Black." said Harley, nearly dropping her bat. "I remember Lily telling me about him." Harley stood up then smashed a nearby arm chair into kindling. "We gotta get him out, Mistah J. He's practically _family_!"

* * *

The week rolled by with little excitement to speak of. Before anyone knew it, another weekend was upon them. Now it was Friday evening and darkness had fallen in earnest now in northern Scotland; the moon hidden from view by a sea of dark clouds. The hundreds of candles that lit the castle glowed through the windows, almost eerily; reflecting on the murky waters of the Black Lake. If one simply looked at the water, one would believe that the castle was burning.

"Will you be much longer, Joseph?" asked a tall blond witch as she pushed a strand of hair back behind her left ear.

"Not much longer, Alice." replied Joseph Wilson, placing another book back onto the shelf in the Restricted Section.

"Okay." said Alice, pouting slightly. "I'll be waiting for you in our usual place."

Alice grinned devilishly as she slipped away.

"You can come out of the shadows." said Joseph, sounding almost bored. "I know you're there."

"Wouldn't keep that one waiting too long." said Harry, stepping out from behind a bookshelf. "I know a guy with a hat fetish that would _love_ to have her."

"Is my love life why you are sneaking into the Restricted Section?" retorted Joseph.

"Not surprised to see me." said Harry. "That tells me I'm right about you."

"Listen kid," said Joseph condescendingly "I know where you come from and who your Mr J is. I know everything that goes on at this school and abroad. I make it my business to not turn a blind eye."

"Keeping up with the times or watching your back?" retorted Harry, refusing to make eye contact with Joseph.

"Both." rebuffed Joseph with a smirky glare. "Tell me kid, what do you think you know about me?"

"Only that your dear old dad has some real anger management issues and a fondness for katanas." replied Harry, a cold smile curving his face. "Am I right?"

"What do you want?" asked Joseph. "Don't think that you can blackmail me or anything. That wouldn't end well."

"Furthest thing from my mind." said Harry, placing a hand over his heart. "See, I've been keeping an eye on you and I can tell that you're on a mission. Well... so am I."

"How have you..." began Joseph "oh... I see. Your band of misfits have been helping you keep tabs on me. Clever."

"Trust, or the illusion there of, is a dead useful tool." said Harry. "You should look into it some time."

"Come here to give me advice?" retorted Joseph.

"Came looking for some." said Harry. "See, you've been here for six long years and by now you've most certainly uncovered most of this school's hidden gems. Me... I only plan for six months at a time so, I thought you might be able to give me some tips."

"All you've come here for is advice?" asked Joseph incredulously. "You're not interested in us teaming up or something?"

"I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind, but... I don't play well with others." replied Harry, leaning on a nearby table. "Aunt Harley said I never wanted to share my toys when I was little, and I guess some things never change."

"What's in it for me?" asked Joseph.

"Oh you try to keep up with everything, but there's one person that keeps avoiding your _gaze_." said Harry, stressing the last word. "Help me and I can help you find your father."

"What makes you think that I'm looking for my father?" retorted Joseph.

"My misfits, remember?" retorted Harry. "Let's not play cat and mouse. We have a deal? You help me with my studies and I help you – _have the father-son reunion that you've been dreaming of!_ "

"Kid, you've got this whole school on edge and you haven't even done one thing yet to justify their fears." said Joseph, leaning against a bookshelf. "Trouble is, they're right to fear you. You're bloody dangerous. I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm ambitious." said Harry, smirking; his eyes dancing with mischief. "Now, do we have a deal?"

"Sure kid." said Joseph. "I'll show you some of the useful things I've learned and you will help me finish my mission. I only have one more question. When did you last see my father?"

"Oh, I've never met your father personally." said Harry dramatically. "No, my Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy love to tell tales about some of their favorite adventures. My Aunt Harley loves to take pictures for her memory album too. You look just like one of the very unhappy additions – minus the eye patch and the murderous expression. Took me a week to remember where I've seen someone who looked like you before."

Joseph threw back his head and laughed. "You're alright, kid. But seriously," his face becoming even and serious once more "while you're here I might as well show you a few things that will help you ease about the castle. This Restricted Section is a wealth of knowledge and I doubt that you will earn the trust of Professor McGonagall any time soon."

"You'd be surprised." said Harry smirking. "What about Alice? Isn't she waiting for you?"

"She always starts without me." said Joseph, smirking at Harry's reaction.

 **~Ace~**

Harry eased into the Dungeon classroom about 8 o'clock to find an irritated looking Professor Snape waiting for him. The room was darker than usual, with the distinct smell of ponding water.

"Have a seat, Mr Potter." said Professor Snape, sitting at a large desk while reading over essays; barely bothering to look up.

Harry made as much noise as possible while sliding his chair across the floor before looking up at Professor Snape innocently. Professor Snape was staring at him, a noticeable twitch in his left eye.

"Do you know why I volunteered to sit your detention, Mr Potter?" asked Professor Snape, putting his quill down on the desk.

"No, Professor." replied Harry truthfully.

Harry could not think of any reason why anyone would volunteer to spend three whole hours with him – alone at that.

"I wanted the opportunity to speak with you outside of class." said Professor Snape, standing up. "This way, we can drop any illusions."

"Illusions?" repeated Harry innocently.

"See, you're not what the rest of our world was expecting, but you are _exactly_ what I was expecting." continued Professor Snape, ignoring Harry's remark while walking around the desk to face him. "You're dark, Harry Potter. I can see it."

"That's just my hair." said Harry in a mildly sarcastic tone. "It gives me that mysterious look."

"Behind those green eyes lies the soul of one that has done things no Gryffindor should ever even be accused of." continued on Professor Snape. "So the question is, why did the Sorting Hat place you in Gryffindor."

"Does this mean... that _you_ wanted _me_ in Slytherin?" asked Harry in an excited tone while clutching his chest. "Professor... I don't know what to say!"

Professor Snape's eyelids where so close together now that his pupils were nothing but slits. His mouth was contorted so badly that it looked as though he was eating his own face from the inside out.

"Okay, Mr Potter." growled Professor Snape. "I offered you an opportunity to come clean with me, but you would rather make jokes."

"I don't make jokes, Professor." said Harry, his demeanor shifting dramatically. "The world makes jokes. Some people tell them... some people live them. Others... simply laugh."

"You like to laugh, Mr Potter?" asked Professor Snape.

"It's fuel for the soul, Professor." replied Harry. "Don't take things too seriously. If you hold the laughter in too long, when it comes out it could kill you."

"Is that advice, Mr Potter, or a threat?" retorted Professor Snape angrily. "Mr Malfoy has told me about the train and near the trophy room."

"I've never threatened anyone, Professor." said Harry, dismissively.

"Are you saying that Mr Malfoy lied to me?" questioned Professor Snape in a threatening tone.

"Professor, I have no idea as to what Malfoy told you." replied Harry calmly. "The only thing that I can tell you is that Harry Quinn never makes threats." Harry made eye contact with the Potions Master. "He only makes promises."

"Mr Potter, you and your alter ego, Harry Quinn, had better listen to me." growled Professor Snape. "Any unprovoked actions against a fellow student is automatic grounds for expulsion."

"Does that apply to the 'normal people' as well?" asked Harry, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Or just the freaks that must be controlled?"

Professor Snape took a few steps back and leaned against his desk, as to get a better look at the young man sitting before him.

"Why do you believe that you are a freak, Mr Potter?" retorted Professor Snape in a measured tone.

"I've been a freak since the moment I was born." said Harry, laughing sadistically. "My parents were killed by a maniac purist, hell bent on purging the world. Then I went to live with my Aunt Harley and Mr J. They showed me what the 'normal people' thought of people like us. They called us freaks and tried to lock us away, but I would not have anything of it. I used my powers to keep us out of the boxes they wanted to put us in. We didn't fit in their world of rules and rulers so, we created our own world. The 'normal people' labeled us as criminals because we refused to live by their rules. I call myself a freak, Professor, because I recognize what I am. I'm not ashamed or angry. I'm just happy being me, and one day we freaks will change the world."

"Will that change be by force, Mr Potter?" asked Professor Snape.

"Force is always necessary, Professor," replied Harry "when dealing with the 'normal people'."

"What if I told you that you sound just like the man you call a maniac?" retorted Professor Snape. "What if I told you that your answer was his justification for all the things that he did?"

"There's two sides to every coin, Professor." said Harry, trying to keep his emotions in check. "However, I find myself on the edge. There are 'normal people' in both the Muggle and the Wizarding world. Because of this, there are freaks in both worlds as well."

"So in your world, there are only 'normal people' and 'freaks'." summarized Professor Snape. "Whom defines who the 'freaks' and the 'normal people' are? You?"

"The 'normal people' define the rules, Professor." retorted Harry, trying to stay calm. "We have just learned to identify those that are one of us."

"And where do you think I fall into your views of the world?" asked Professor Snape.

"You Professor... and I mean this in the most respectful way – are not 'normal'." said Harry, keeping eye contact with Professor Snape.

"Is that your way of saying that I'm a freak like you?" asked Professor Snape silkily.

"Nope." replied Harry, popping the 'P'. "You seem to me as though you're trying really hard to follow the rules, and yet you despise being told what to do. You're the perfect candidate to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Instead, you teach Potions while the con artist teaches the other."

"Are you insinuating, Mr Potter, that Professor Lockhart is incompetent and that I am a dark wizard?" retorted Professor Snape, an edge to his voice.

"Professor Lockhart is a fraud." said Harry calmly. "I don't believe that he has done any of the things that his books go on about. As for you, Professor, you're not dark. You've seen dark things though... I can see it in your eyes."

"Oh?" quipped Professor Snape dangerously. "Tell me, what do you see in my eyes, Mr Potter."

"Every time you look at me I see a cold regret." replied Harry. "My Aunt Harley has the same look in her eyes after she's had to do something – extreme. You're a wizard, so I assume it has something to do with dark magic."

"Detention is over, Mr Potter." snapped Professor Snape. "Return to Gryffindor common room at once!"

Harry showed no emotion as he nodded and stood to leave, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulder. He knew that he had struck a nerve with the Potions Master and it was best not to press any further.

" _Come... let me rip... let me tear you... let me taste you._ " echoed a voice from above Harry's head. He stopped shy of the door and looked up.

"Unable to open the door, Mr Potter?" quipped Professor Snape, his voice sounding a bit hollow.

"Did you just hear a voice, Professor?" asked Harry, turning back to face the room.

"Besides your voice, Mr Potter – _no_." replied Professor Snape coldly. "Hearing voices now?"

"Maybe." replied Harry, shrugging and turning back towards the door. "Oh well, wouldn't be the first time."

"What did the voice sound like?" asked Professor Snape, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Hungry." replied Harry as he exited the classroom; not turning back to see the confused look on Professor Snape's face.

 **~Ace~**

Harry reached the Gryffindor common room without seeing hardly a soul in the corridors. Upon entering, he found a shocked Neville and Hermione waiting for him.

"Harry? What you doing here?" asked Neville in a worried tone. "You're supposed to be in detention."

"Harry, please don't tell us you skipped out on your detention!" said Hermione, her facial expressions somewhere between frustration and fear.

"Calm down, you two." said Harry, chucking his backpack down by one of the cushioned arm chairs. "Professor Snape let me go early."

"What did you do to him?" asked Neville, unable to hide his excitement.

"Nothing." said Harry dismissively, flopping down on the couch beside Hermione and Neville. "We just talked a little bit, then he told me I was dismissed. What are you two up to?"

"We were going to sit up and wait for you." said Hermione, relaxing slightly. "We had just started working on our Charms paper when you came in. What did you and Professor Snape talk about?"

"Oh, mainly just my view of the world." replied Harry casually.

"No wonder he let you go early." mused Neville aloud.

The three of them broke down laughing at Neville's slip. Harry knew it was good that they were so quickly accepting 'his ways'. This meant that they were just about ready for phase two. Hermione pushed a lock of her bushy hair back behind her ear and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She immediately blushed and smiled, but did not look away. These were good signs, indeed.

* * *

 **A/N: New laptop? Check. Rewrite chapters that were lost on stolen laptop? Work In Progress. Hey, looky there, I'm back! Sorry for the long delay. Hope you enjoyed the latest update to my story. Please Review and let me know what you think. Has not been beta'd yet, so any grammar or plot mistakes are on me! Thanks for all the great reviews so far!**


	5. A Day To Remember

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Five: A Day To Remember**

The morning of September 19th was shaping up to be the most stressful morning Narcissa could remember since the morning they had received word that the Dark Lord had fallen. She remembered how worried Lucius had been that Aurors would arrive at any moment to haul them off to Azkaban. She remembered the owls that filled the sitting room of their manor home with letters telling of another arrest or asking for bribes in return for their freedom. She remembered her silent relief that came from the thought that her husband would never again leave her in the middle of the night to worry whether her son would wake up the following morning fatherless.

In the end, what Narcissa had hoped was nothing more than a dream. She came to realize that the Dark Lord had been nothing more than an excuse for her husband to practice his Pureblood beliefs and to justify his love of the Dark Arts. The fall of the Dark Lord did not end her sleepless nights or prevent Lucius from raising Draco to be just like him.

As Narcissa followed the Joker, she wondered whether her son would soon end up motherless.

"Sure this is going to work, Mistah J?" asked Harley, tugging at her robes uncomfortably as they walked towards the end of a dark alley.

"Absolutely not." retorted the Joker darkly. "But where would be the fun if we knew how it was all going to turn out?"

"It will work." said Ivy. "Isn't that right, my pet?"

Narcissa glanced at Ivy nervously, but nodded her head in agreement.

"Come on now!" growled the Joker. "Happy thoughts! Remember the bumbling idiot's last words! He said to think of things that make you happy to increase the magic of the cloaks we're wearing. These Dementor creatures feed on despair and hopelessness."

Narcissa shivered slightly at the Joker's words.

"Upset with me, Narcissa?" asked the Joker, spying her reaction.

"I had known that shop owner nearly all my life." sighed Narcissa. "My father use to do business with him almost every week."

"Hey… at least he went out with a smile on his face." said the Joker smiling manically. "That's more than most can say these days."

The quartet approached a brick wall at the end of the alley. It was at least thirty feet tall and looked solid; no signs of a hidden door or even a crack.

"Ya know, I've never been too fond of meeting people in dark alleys." said a simpering voice as a slender figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Well helloooo Frost." said the Joker casually. "I was hoping that you'd get my message and slip on by."

"Save your jokes." hissed Killer Frost. "The Baron said that there was money to be made and bodies to count."

"The Baron is never wrong, Frost my dear." said the Joker smiling. "As for my jokes… most think they're to _DIE_ for."

"Yeah yeah yeah." said Frost in a bored tone. "So what's the hit?"

"We're rescuing one of the wealthy from an extended stay for bad behavior." mused the Joker.

"As long as he's paying…"

"I don't see why we need her." interrupted Ivy.

"Careful Ivy." said Frost coldly. "Wouldn't want an early frost."

Ivy glared while Frost simply smiled.

"Ladies! Ladies!" cooed the Joker. "You'll both feel better once you've stretched your legs and filled a few graves."

Without waiting for a retort, the Joker stepped forward, inching closer to the wall.

"You can almost smell the secrets." breathed the Joker. "Narcissa, if you would be so kind."

Narcissa approached the brick wall and tapped her wand to one of the bricks. The wall rippled like water, but remained in place. Slowly, Narcissa reached out and pushed her hand through the wall. The Joker laughed with glee before grabbing Harley by the hand and leaping through the wall. Frost strolled through behind the Joker, smirking over her shoulder at Ivy. Ivy sighed as she followed, tugging Narcissa through by the arm.

They found themselves on the shore of a small island in the middle of a turbulent sea. Before them stood a tall stone wall and beyond that a towering structure that reached towards the sky. Behind them, stood a small building with a sign above the door reading 'Visitor's Exit'.

"Wrap yourself in this, Frost my dear." said the Joker, tossing her a cloak.

"Thanks, but I don't get cold." retorted Frost.

"That's not what it's for." said the Joker. "Trust me."

Frost raised an eyebrow before tossing the cloak around her.

"The gate is down this path." said Narcissa, pointing to a path that lead around the shore and parallel with the stone wall. "There will be several guards there, but no Dementors. They are kept inside to keep the prisoners well guarded."

The Joker pulled the hood of his cloak up and chuckled as he sang, " _To Azkaban We Go!_ "

 **~~~Ace~~~**

Several minutes later Narcissa, Ivy and Harley approached the gate, noting the three guards that stood somberly at their posts. Narcissa almost felt sorry for them.

"State your business." said one of the guards when they drew close enough.

"Narcissa Malfoy and my cousins Harleen and Ivy Black." said Narcissa indignantly. "We are here to visit my sister, Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Please submit your wands for inspection." said the guard. "I presume that you have obtained the necessary permission parchments to visit a maximum security prisoner."

"Of course." said Narcissa, withdrawing a roll of parchment. "Will this take long? We are in a hurry and do not wish to remain in this prison any longer than we have to."

"Oh come on, Narcissa dear." said Ivy, strolling forward. "What's the rush? Why I bet these handsome guards have been here alone all night in the cool air. Bella isn't going anywhere."

The guard looked Ivy up and down; greed filling his eyes.

"Yeah, I bet they've been here shivering without anything to keep them warm." said Harley, approaching another of the guards who looked as though he enjoyed the attention.

"Most certainly not." protested Narcissa. "I'm a married woman."

"Yeah, married to _boring_ Lucius Malfoy." cooed Harley. "These three look like _way_ more fun, but you're going to have to share."

The third guard looked at Narcissa expectantly and she had to sigh at the stupidity of the crew before them. Before she could say a word, Ivy was kissing the first guard while Harley placed a hand gently on the second guard's chest. Immediately, the first guard began to gasp for air while clutching at his throat.

"Oh? Did I forget to wear my lipstick?" asked Ivy innocently.

The second guard looked away from Harley, only to receive a blackjack to the face. The third guard whipped out his wand at pointed it at Narcissa just as the Joker tapped him on the shoulder from behind. The guard spun around only to be hit with the Joker's 'Laughing Gas'.

"Well… at least one went down with a smile on his face." laughed the Joker, picking up the guard's wand and pocketing it.

"I could have iced all three of them before they could've moved." sighed Frost in a bored tone.

"Don't feel left out, my dear." sang the Joker. "There will be plenty inside to keep you busy."

The Joker pushed open the gate then held it, motioning them through.

"Come on ladies! The sun will be up soon and we must not keep Lord Black waiting!"

 **~~~Ace~~~**

Narcissa crouched low to the ground next to the wall of the prison, waiting for Harley and Frost to return, while Ivy leaned against it. She noted that Ivy blended perfectly with the green moss that adorned the stone building; her magical cloak turning the same exact shade of green. No matter how much she blended though, it was not hiding the glares that she was giving the Joker.

"What's taking them so long, Joker?" hissed Ivy.

"Patience, my poisonous cohort." sighed the Joker. "Here they come now."

"All done puddin'." said Harley, skipping up to the Joker merrily. "The powder is spread along the perimeter of the prison."

"Did you encounter any guards?" asked the Joker, standing in the growing shadow of the mighty structure.

"Six," replied Frost, smiling as she walked up behind Harley "but they decided to chill out."

"And you say my jokes are bad… BLAH!" retorted the Joker.

"Can we get on with it before we're discovered… or is that part of your plan?" asked Ivy heatedly.

"But of course we'll get on with it!" replied the Joker. "But we are in Britain, so we must do it _properly_."

The Joker straightened his jacket then strolled towards the door to the fortress – Frost and Harley following close behind. Ivy huffed at the blatant insanity as she and Narcissa followed. The Joker knocked ever so softly on the door then waited.

"They must be out to tea." said the Joker after a minute had passed. "Harley dear, could you knock a little louder for me?"

"O-P-E-N U-P!" screamed Harley as she pounded on the door with her baseball bat.

"WHAT'S GOING ON –" shouted a guard, his wand drawn as he opened the door.

Ice shards pelted the guard and his fellow guards behind him as they fell to the floor.

"I do believe that they were trying to give us the cold shoulder." said the Joker as he stepped over the fallen guard. "Be ready, ladies. There are more guards to come and their Demented pets won't be far behind."

"Demented pets?" repeated Frost.

Frost did not need to wait for an answer as over twenty Dementors swept into the entrance way.

"Let's see if these 'Demented Pets' can get frostbite." mused Frost cracking her knuckles.

Just as Frost stepped forward to attempt to pelt the demons sweeping in before her with ice shards, Narcissa raised her wand and shouted, " _EXPECTO PATRONUM!_ "

A large silvery falcon soared out of the tip of Narcissa's wand, directly towards the Dementors, driving the gliding nightmares backwards. As she did so, the cloaks that she and the rest of her fellow 'Stormers of Azkaban' wore began to glow a pale white.

"Frost!" shouted the Joker. "Freeze those fireplaces! That's how they communicate with the outside world!"

Frost filled every fireplace in the entrance foyer with ice.

"Think of happy thoughts!" said the Joker gleefully. "Like deep frying bats!"

The group marched forward as guards and Dementors fled from their path; Frost freezing every guard in sight. When they reached the Maximum Security Ward, Harley 'persuaded' one of the guards to show them where Sirius' cell was once she had relieved him of his wand.

"They just don't make prisons like they use to." said the Joker, striding up to Sirius' cell. "What's this?"

The joker stared, not at a frail shell of a man like he had expected by all the previous examples that he had seen, but a large shabby black dog.

"It seems that we are too late." said Ivy. "Looks as though this Lord Black has already made his escape and has just as bad a sense of humor as you."

"No he hasn't!" exclaimed Harley, approaching the cell. "My sister Lily told me all about him! It's okay Mr Black. My sister was Lily Evans Potter."

Immediately, the large black shabby dog stood up. As the dog walked towards the cell door, it transformed into a full grown man with wild hair and even wilder eyes.

"Lily Evans Potter had only one sister… and you're not her." said the man with a voice that sounded like it had not been used in a long time.

"Oh, you're thinking of Petunia." said Harley smiling, as though it was completely obvious. "I'm their half sister, Harley. Lily treated me like a true sister while dopey Petunia pretended that I didn't exist. When Lily died, Harry came to live with me."

"Y-You have Harry?" croaked Sirius.

"Can we catch up later before we all join my dear cousin in his cell?" quipped Narcissa.

"Absolutely." interjected the Joker. "Frost… if you'd be so kind."

"Sure." said Frost. "Let's see if this cell door is ice proof."

Sirius stood back as ice filled the lock until it warped and busted. He quickly exited the cell that had been his home for the nearly twelve years and did his best to keep up with his rescue party.

"Sissy?"

A hoarse female voice halted the group as they made their way out of the Maximum Security Ward.

"Bella." breathed Narcissa.

"Well hello, dear cousin." croaked Sirius. "You're looking better than I would hope."

"I like this guy already." laughed the Joker.

"Take me with you." strained Bellatrix Lestrange.

"No chance!" hissed Harley. "You followed that maniac that killed my sister!"

The group continued on; Narcissa hiding her face as Bellatrix cried, "Sissy!" Bellatrix shook the cell door, but jumped back as one of the group reappeared in front of her.

"Your master wanted Harry Potter dead, correct?" asked Ivy.

"When my master returns, he will kill the brat!" strained Bellatrix.

"Did you know that moss is a plant?" asked Ivy, touching the moss covered wall.

Immediately, the moss magically grew up around Bellatrix; dragging her back against the wall and choking the life from her frail body.

"I love magical plants." sighed Ivy as she strolled to catch up with the group.

"Is that dog trick hard to do, Lord Black?" asked the Joker.

"Easier than it looks." replied Sirius.

"Well then… why don't you turn back into 'Black Rover' so that nobody sees you leave." said the Joker. "It'll be easier than stuffing you into a sack and playing Santa."

The Joker glanced over to see the large black dog bounding along beside him. Sounds ahead told the Joker that the remaining guards were preparing to try and stop them.

"Hope you got some sharp teeth, Rover." cackled the Joker. "Cause it sounds like we're in for a fight!"

The large black dog growled his response, causing the Joker to laugh insanely with glee.

* * *

Harry woke up and stretched, ready for the day to begin. It would be a special day and he could not wait to get going. The rest of Gryffindor would be stirring soon and he had to be ready. He tugged on his clothes, straightened his hair to the best of his abilities and whistled merrily as he headed down to the Gryffindor common room.

As Harry bounded into the common room, he found the twins up and waiting for him. They smiled devilishly in unison to let him know that all was ready. He smirked his response before taking his place next to the entrance of the girl's dorms. As the girls exited the dorms to head down to breakfast, several of them glanced at him before giggling or blushing at the look he gave them. When Hermione exited the dorms, he grabbed a hold of her arm and gently tugged her to one side.

"Harry!" shrieked Hermione in surprise.

"Morning Hermione." said Harry, smiling devilishly. "Sorry to surprise you, but I didn't want to risk missing you."

"What's going on?" asked Hermione, blushing slightly at the closeness to him.

"Wait with me until everyone has exited for breakfast." said Harry. "I promise I'll explain then."

Hermione nodded and waited with him until only Harry, the twins and Neville remained behind with her.

"Now will you explain what's going on?" asked Hermione.

"Happy birthday breakfast!" said Harry, Neville and the twins in unison.

Immediately, a table appeared in the center of the room filled with plates of breakfast food, colorful decorations and balloons. Hermione covered her mouth with her hands in shock and Harry could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

"Amazing what you can get done if you have the proper connections." said Harry, winking at the twins. "Thought an intimate breakfast with friends would be a nice way to kick off your birthday."

"Kick off?" repeated Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You mean there's more?"

"But of course!" exclaimed Harry, throwing his arms wide. "It's your birthday… and a special one at that."

"Turning thirteen isn't special." retorted Hermione. "At least not here in Britain or Europe."

"Ah," said Harry, wiggling his finger and dancing around "that's where you Brits think you got it figured out. You think it has to be a holiday to have a parade! Well… where's the joy in life if you don't celebrate every special moment?"

Harry was in full performance mode. Hermione, Neville and the twins were his audience – and he had them eating out of his hand.

"You should celebrate every special moment and make sure that the day always ends with a bang!" exclaimed Harry, waving his arms dramatically. "Mix a little Muggle trickery with a little bit o' magic and…" Harry withdrew his wand and tapped the table "VIOLA!"

A small stuffed bear appeared in the middle of the table. Hermione slowly reached over to pick it up and squealed with delight when she hugged it as it began to sing "Happy Birthday".

"It smells like cookies too." said Hermione smiling. "Where did you get it?"

"Yeah mate." said the twins in unison. "Where did you get it?"

"You two aren't my only only connections." smirked Harry.

"Is it enchanted to sing?" asked Neville, looking at the stuffed bear.

"No Nev. That be a Muggle trick." replied Harry, before mumbling "The real tricks are still to come…"

* * *

John Constantine sat in a small room that he called his 'Think Tank', drawing slowly on a Silk Cut; trying to come down from the previous night's strenuous activities. The weight of his responsibilities had been getting a lot more difficult to burden as of late. He had resorted to literally going underground, using an old abandoned WWII bunker for seclusion. The silence of the small room provided a peace that nothing else he knew of could offer him.

"Really?" said John aloud, releasing a steady stream of smoke past his lips. "You've given up on haunting Big Ben and now you've come to haunt me instead?"

"Hello John." said Batman, stepping out of the shadows of the doorway. "I wouldn't have bothered you if I didn't need your help."

"Figured you'd rely on old Rip to assist you in your 'obsession'." chided John, turning to face his uninvited guest. "You said so yourself that you find my side of the world distasteful."

"If memory serves me, the last time I was here I told you that every time I come here it's raining and somebody is dead." retorted Batman. "I went to see Rip, but something important had called him away. Anyway, anything new in London that might interest me?"

"It's going to rain all week and somebody just died mysteriously." replied John, smirking.

"Not funny." said Batman, looking about the small room at all the pictures taped to the gray stone walls.

"Who said I was _joking_?" retorted John, raising one eyebrow. "It seems that someone died yesterday of a very rare tropical poison... someone from the Wizarding world at that."

"I thought Britain's Wizarding world kept you at arms length these days." said Batman. "Why would they involve you?"

"They do." said John, taking a draw from his cigarette. "That doesn't mean that I still don't have connections on the inside. After all, I did graduate from Hogwarts with top marks before I snapped my wand and walked away to pursue more extensive magic."

"I assume you suspect Poison Ivy of the man's death." said Batman, staring hard at one particular picture. "Tell me, why would the Joker have her kill a Wizard?"

"Interrogation method." replied John casually. "You see, he was a guard at the Wizarding prison, Azkaban."

"Why would they want information about a prison?" retorted Batman.

"I can think of five reasons and none of them are good." muttered John. "Trouble is that none of them line up with the reason he came here in the first place. Then again, only a select few in the Wizarding world are aware of his connection to the Boy-Who-Lived."

John watched Batman very carefully as he continued to study the pictures on the wall; purposely not looking at John.

"Why develop photos in both the normal way and the wizard way?" asked Batman.

"You bloody well know exactly who Harley's nephew is." chuckled John, ignoring Batman's question.

"Wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't." retorted Batman.

John rose from his chair and walked around so that he could look Batman directly in the eyes.

"Good at your job or your obsession?" asked John, not waiting for Batman to answer. "Bruce, you're out of your league here and so is the Joker."

"Underestimating me is always my advantage." retorted Batman darkly. "Underestimating the Joker is deadly. Don't believe me? Ask that wizard prison guard. Oh that's right, you can't."

"You're not the only one that can stop the Joker, Bruce." said John firmly. "Yet you continue to go out of your way to see him put back in Arkham. I don't hear of you chasing Mr Freeze all over the globe."

"Mr Freeze is no comparison to the Joker." growled Batman, starting to lose his cool. "You may think that he is out of his depth, but the Joker adapts. If he gets his hands on the secrets of Hogwarts, the world will burn."

"Agreed." said John smiling. "Don't get your cape in a bunch, Bruce. I'll help you stop the Joker from accomplishing whatever it is that he is up to. If making off with Harry Potter was his only objective, he would have already made his move."

Suddenly a silver cylinder in the opposite corner started to whistle; black smoke rising from the top.

"Damn." hissed John, staring at the object.

"What does that mean?" asked Batman.

"It means that he's adapting." sighed John, looking back at Batman.

* * *

"Harry, what are you up to?" asked Hermione as he held another door for her as they left Charms class.

"Why must it be that I am up to something just because I held a door for you?" retorted Harry, smiling.

"A door?" repeated Hermione, her eyebrows raising. "Harry, you've held every door, every chair and you had that special breakfast arranged for me this morning."

"I told you – it's your birthday." sighed Harry, shaking his head.

"You going to do all this for Neville, Luna and the twins?" retorted Hermione, smirking.

"Gonna be jealous if I do?" retorted Harry, causing Hermione to blush.

Harry smirked devilishly as they reached the bottom of the Grand Staircase and turned to head towards the greenhouses for Herbology. He looked back behind him to see Neville walking a few steps behind. Neville caught his gaze and nodded before striding faster to catch up.

They were sharing Herbology class with the Ravenclaws that morning. Harry had first thought that sharing classes with any house other than the Slytherins would be dull. To the contrary, he had discovered that each house was truly unique and interesting. Each house possessed at least one or two people that he could relate to, and most importantly, 'recruit'.

As both houses settled in for another lesson on the Mandrakes and their many uses, besides killing living creatures with merely their screams, Harry noted that one of the Ravenclaw boys across the room was acting peculiar. He was staring at Hermione as though she had done something personally to him. Harry tilted his head sideways as he examined the boy's expressions.

"His name is Terry Boot." whispered Neville into Harry's right ear.

"Does Mr Boot know Herm –"

Harry's whispered question was cut off by Professor Sprout calling the class to order. Everyone took out their magical ear muffs and placed them securely over their ears. Professor Sprout began the lesson, but Harry was too focused on Terry Boot to pay attention. The boy's facial expressions were shifting from anger to the same expression Red got every time he was trying to concentrate.

Harry glanced at Professor Sprout, but his attention was drawn back to Boot as he noticed the slow steady movements of someone trying not to draw attention to themselves. Indeed, Harry was the only one watching Boot as he withdrew something from his pocket and slid it under the table. Harry watched his eyes for any signs of danger.

Suddenly, Boot's eyes became unfocused and Harry saw the young boy whisper something. Hermione shrieked as her ear muffs flew off of her head, across the room and under the Ravenclaw table. As everyone stared at Hermione in confusion, Boot reached for his potted Mandrake. Realizing what was about to happen, Harry did the only thing that was guaranteed to save Hermione. He yanked his ear muffs off and shoved them onto her head just as Boot jerked the Mandrake from the pot; filling the room with an indescribable sound. Harry covered his ears with his hands before all went black.

* * *

Hermione was shaking from head to toe. She had been forced to wait outside the Hospital wing while Professor Sprout rushed Harry and Terry Boot to see Madam Pomfrey. The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall had shown up moments later; Professor McGonagall giving her a long hard look before entering the wing.

Hermione knew that she was going to be punished for her actions, but she simply did not care. She knew that she would be seen as overreacting, but in her defense she thought that Harry was dead. No, in her mind Terry Boot got off easy.

"Very fortunate that it was a young Mandrake, Albus." said Professor Sprout as the Headmaster opened the door to exit the Hospital wing.

"Indeed." replied Professor Dumbledore, glancing at Hermione and clearing his throat. "Professor Sprout, I believe it best that an anti-summoning charm be placed on all of your ear muffs. That way we can avoid any such incident in the future."

"I will do it at once, Headmaster." said Professor Sprout, glancing at Hermione.

Professor Sprout hurried away just as Professor McGonagall exited the wing.

"Ms Granger," said Professor McGonagall "you will be happy to know that Mr Quinn will make a full recovery. He does however require some rest, so he will spending the night here in the Hospital wing."

"Can I see him?" asked Hermione, standing up.

"You can visit him later." replied Professor McGonagall. "Right now, he is sleeping and we would like a word with you. You will accompany us to the Headmaster's office."

Hermione nodded as she glanced up at the age-ed Headmaster then back at her Head of House. She followed them down from the Hospital wing, stopping in front of a stone gargoyle.

"Lemon drops." said the Headmaster.

Immediately, the stone gargoyle leaped to one side to reveal a spiraling staircase. As they stepped on the staircase, it began to move; lifting them up to a landing above. Professor Dumbledore opened the door to his office and motioned for Professor McGonagall and Hermione to go inside.

As Hermione stepped inside, she marveled at all the magical objects that filled the room. It was a grand office, befitting a Headmaster, and she was sure that it would take hours of exploration to truly appreciate all the wonders that the room held. Unfortunately, she was sure that the 'Grand Tour' was not on the list of things to do today.

"Please have a seat, Ms Granger." said Professor Dumbledore, gesturing to a high back chair in front of his desk as he swept around to sit in his grand chair.

Hermione sat down as Professor Dumbledore examined her; his hands folded in front of him.

"Ms Granger," began Professor McGonagall, choosing to remain standing "Professor Sprout informs me that you attacked Mr Boot with a series of jinxes and hexes before having to be stunned. She did so, to prevent you from finishing what sounded to be like a transfiguration charm that would have changed Mr Boot into a worm."

"Forgive me, Professor, but I thought that he had just tried to murder me and had murdered my best friend instead!" exclaimed Hermione; her nervousness turning to anger. "What about Boot? Why isn't he in trouble?"

"Professor Flitwick will deal with Mr Boot once he is out of the Hospital wing." replied Professor McGonagall. "You are my student and your actions, while possibly justified, do raise some concerns."

"Concerns?" repeated Hermione, glancing at the Headmaster.

"Yes, Ms Granger…" sighed Professor Dumbledore "we have some concerns as to you and Mr Longbottom's change of demeanor since Mr Quinn's arrival."

Professor McGonagall shot the Headmaster a glancing glare before returning her attention to Hermione.

"A change in demeanor?" repeated Hermione. "How has my demeanor changed?"

"Might I remind you that you just attacked another student only less than an hour ago." retorted Professor Dumbledore, raising one eyebrow.

"Headmaster, Ms Granger did believe that Mr Quinn was seriously injured or worse." interjected Professor McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, you agreed with me only moments ago that this was not the actions of the Ms Granger from a year ago." said the Headmaster, as though reminding Professor McGonagall.

"I never said that I blamed Mr Quinn for her change in character." retorted Professor McGonagall, seeming to forget for a moment that Hermione was still present. "I only meant that –"

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat to interrupt Professor McGonagall; reminding her that Hermione was still in the room.

"We can discuss this later, Professor." said Professor Dumbledore. "Right now, I would like to warn Ms Granger against any further outbursts of magic against a fellow student and to inform her that we do not hold her accountable for her actions this morning. There will be no punishment."

A giggle escaped Hermione's mouth before she could catch herself, earning a stern look from Professor McGonagall and a concerned look from the Headmaster.

"Excuse me, Ms Granger," said Professor Dumbledore "but did I say something amusing?"

"In a way, yes." replied Hermione. "Tell me if I understood you correctly, Professor. What it sounds like you're saying is that it was perfectly okay for Boot to try and do me in. It also sounds like that my retaliation is being overlooked because I have been somehow emotionally damaged by Harry." Professor McGonagall attempted to interrupt, but Hermione pressed on. "Now unless it is due to the fact that Boot is of a higher blood status than me, being that I'm Muggleborn, and he is above reproach for having a bit of sport with my life – what other assumption should I come up with?"

"Ms Granger," sighed Dumbledore "I was not going to mention this to you for I did not want to burden you, but you leave me no choice. Mr Boot had traces of a very powerful mood altering potion in his blood."

There was a long pause as Professor Dumbledore stared at Hermione hopefully.

"And you think that Harry gave him the potion?" asked Hermione incredulously. "Are you mad?"

"Ms Granger, the Headmaster never said that he believed that Mr Quinn –"

"But he insinuated it!" exclaimed Hermione, interrupting Professor McGonagall. "I ask you, why would Harry want to do me in then risk his life to save me? How could he have gotten a hold of such a potion to begin with? How mad is this conversation?"

"Ms Granger!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "Control yourself!"

"Don't worry, Professor." said Hermione, standing up. "I won't tell Harry what was said here today. I will have a hard enough time convincing him that Boot has suffered enough as it is. With your permission, I'm going to go check on Harry in the Hospital wing. Without your permission, I'm going still the same."

"My apologies for upsetting you, Ms Granger." said Professor Dumbledore. "I was not insinuating that Mr Quinn would attempt to do you in, to use the earthy phrase. I was insinuating that someone might be trying to get at Mr Quinn through you and to be careful in the future. You have our permission to visit Mr Quinn."

Without another word, Hermione nodded then left the Headmaster's office. As she descended the spiral staircase, she felt as though it was carrying her away from her blinded views of the Wizarding world. Harry was right – being 'normal' wasn't for her.

* * *

Professor McGonagall took a seat in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk, holding her forehead with her hand.

"As you were saying, Minerva." sighed Professor Dumbledore. "Something is occurring that is influencing Gryffindor house. That something is Harry Quinn."

"Albus, I know that it would be easy to assume with Harry's background that he is causing the unrest in my house." retorted Professor McGonagall. "However, issues such as blood status divisions have been around for years."

"I did not say that Harry has created the issues." stressed Professor Dumbledore. "He is naturally antagonistic by his upbringing, thus he does not create issues – he fuels them. He finds the crack in the armor and exploits it."

"Assuming that you are correct – why would he risk Mr Granger's life?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I have several theories." replied Professor Dumbledore. "None of which I am willing to share at this moment. The important thing is that we keep a closer eye on Mr Quinn."

"I understood why you brought him here and I still believe that he belongs." said Professor McGonagall. "However, if I may make a suggestion, Albus. It might be best for the entire school if you try to make him feel as though he belongs."

"I agree." sighed Professor Dumbledore. "Young Harry was raised as an agent of chaos. If we are not careful, he may burn our world to the ground – literally."

* * *

The doors to the Maximum Security Ward burst open as Narcissa and Frost pelted the guards with spells and shards of ice. Dementors glided in behind them, forcing Narcissa to focus her efforts behind them with another Patronus. Harley attacked the guards mercilessly with an array of gunfire and swings from her baseball bat; the guards casting spells wildly and missing badly. Black Rover attacked and mauled several guards while the Joker danced merrily down the stairs, dodging spell after spell; using two squirt guns to spray multiple guards in the face with his infamous 'Joker's Venom'.

They overcame the last of the guards quickly as they reached the entrance foyer to the prison; the Dementors unable to do more than hover in the shadows thanks to the combination of Narcissa's Patronus and the special cloaks that they had acquired. Ivy touched some of the vines that snaked up the inside wall, causing them to instantly grow up the staircase and form a green wall; blocking any remaining guards from escaping.

As the rescue party burst out into courtyard, Frost sealed the doors to the prison behind them with blasts of ice. They turned to make a break for the outer wall to find to figures standing in their way.

"Just when I thought that this day couldn't get any better!" exclaimed the Joker with glee. "It's Johnny boy and the Bat – risen from the grave!"

"You're not going anywhere, Joker!" growled Batman.

"You know that I'd love to stay and chat, Bats, but I'm really on a tight schedule." bantered the Joker. "Frost, if you would, put these two on ice!"

"With pleasure." cooed Frost, pelting Batman and Constantine with ice shards.

Batman dodged the ice shards while Constantine used rune stones to conjure a miniature dust storm that sent the shards back at their would-be attacker; forcing Frost to conjure an ice wall to protect them. Joker sent several razor sharp playing cards in Batman's direction, forcing him to use his cape as a shield. To the Joker's shock and dismay, his playing cards bounced off of Batman's cape. To his delight, vines erupted from the earth, ensnaring Batman's arms and legs.

"Seeing you all tied up makes me wish I had the time to play _Pin The Tail On The Bat_ ," cooed the Joker "but alas I must be off. _Besides_ … I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun I have planned!"

"You're not going –" began Constantine as he made to stop the _rescue party_ ; pausing at the sight of the large black dog bounding his direction. "A BLOODY GRI – AHHH!"

Constantine fell backwards as Black Rover leaped over him, heading for the unguarded gates beyond; vines erupting from the ground beneath Constantine and bounding him from head-to-toe.

"Time to make our exit!" cackled the Joker. "Harley! Light 'em up!"

"Sure thing, puddin'!" replied Harley happily, pulling out a long silvery object and tossing it onto the powder that had been spread around the prison.

At once, the powder began to hiss and wail as large puffs of red smoke filled the air. Suddenly, flaming beasts sprung forth – rising up from the where the powder had been. The fiery beasts roared before lashing out at the prison walls with flaming claws and lashing tails.

"LOOKS LIKE A HOT TIME IN THE OLD PRISON CELL!" laughed the Joker insanely.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" shouted Constantine, looking on in horror.

"Fiendfyre." retorted Narcissa coldly. "Cast in a magical circle. May all within burn forever."

As the group ran off towards the gates, the Joker's sickening laugh could be heard echoing through the clouds of black smoke that was quickly filling the island.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly beside Harry's bed watching him sleep. Her rage and guilt burned silently within her chest. The very idea that Harry might try to harm her was ridiculous and enraged her, to say the least. The Headmaster denied that he was insinuating that Harry might do so, but she knew what he had meant. She also felt guilt that it was him in the hospital bed and not her.

"It's not your fault, Granger." said Joseph Wilson as he stepped seemingly out of nowhere.

Hermione didn't care for his sudden appearances, nor did she fully understand his and Harry's new – whatever it was. All she knew was that over the last week or so, Joseph had become a frequent guest at unexpected times. This was the most open setting that she had seen him acknowledge her or Harry in yet, though the only other people around was Madam Pomfrey and an unconscious Terry Boot. She had told him several times to call her by her first name, but he continued to refer to her as "Granger"; as though first names were too personal.

"Oh, hello Joseph." sighed Hermione. "You're wrong though. This is my fault."

"Explain." retorted Joseph, folding his arms.

"Boot was after me." said Hermione. "Harry should have never put his ear muffs on me."

"Quinn has great reflexes and good judgment." said Joseph. "He has chosen his friends well since he arrived, including the brightest witch in Hogwarts." Hermione blushed a little as she looked up at Joseph. "So think, Granger, why would Boot attack you?"

"I don't know if it's safe –"

"Madam Pomfrey is sleeping peacefully, Boot is drugged and I placed an early warning ward on the wing when I arrived." said Joseph, interrupting Hermione. "Feel at ease to speak freely."

"One day you'll have to explain yours and Harry's relationship to me." retorted Hermione, frowning. "For now, I trust you only cause I trust Harry."

"The feeling is mutual." bantered Joseph. "I'm sure that Quinn would be happy… make that giddy to explain our relationship. For now, think of me as his private tutor."

"Well in that case," sighed Hermione "the Headmaster said that Boot was given some sort of mood altering potion. He also insinuated that Harry might have been behind it."

"Not surprising on both counts." said Joseph, conjuring up a chair to Hermione's amazement. "Boot is terribly boring on a good day, so the potion explains things. The Headmaster is leery of Quinn due to his upbringing, though the idea that he would harm you is mad – even for Professor Dumbledore. The fact is, Quinn had gone through a lot to make this a day to remember for you."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Well for starters, I know that with Professor Sprout's approval, Quinn and Longbottom had arranged for all the flowers in the greenhouse to change into buttercups at the end of the lesson." replied Joseph, rubbing his chin.

"I love buttercups." whispered Hermione, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Yes," groaned Joseph "well the rest of the day he was going to have many more surprises for you. I believe though that your attempted murder has shot them to bloody hell."

"Why would someone want to harm me?" retorted Hermione. "I'm just a freak in this world. I'm not worth the effort."

"You're no longer a misfit or a freak, Granger." said Joseph quietly, leaning close. "You're a threat. You know Quinn's birth name. You know what they called him before he arrived. You know who raised him. He's not what anyone was expecting. The dark and the light both fear what he might do. He has no lack of enemies. You, Longbottom, Lovegood, and the Weasley twins are the only ones here that he trusts or cares about. You're a weakness and Quinn lying here in this bed proves it."

"I don't want to be a weakness." said Hermione, biting her lower lip. "What do I do?"

"Strengthen him by strengthening yourself." replied Joseph firmly. "If Quinn doesn't have to worry about you, then he'll be just… uh… well… Quinn. And trust me, that's more than anyone will want to deal with."

* * *

The Joker cackled merrily as he and his triumphant crew, plus one Black Rover, bounded through the magical wall and into the alley from which they had started.

"Well now, that went well." cooed the Joker, leaning up against the alley wall.

"Don't get too bloody comfortable, Chuckles." said Sirius Black, morphing back into his human form. "Aurors will be headed this way quickly after what you just did."

"Sorry, Lord Black, but I always take time to savor my triumphs." said the Joker, pretending to smell his lapel flower.

"Sirius is right." said Narcissa. "Aurors will probably be here any moment."

"Back to the safe house then!" exclaimed the Joker.

Narcissa pulled an old shoe out of her pocket and tapped it with her wand, activating the portkey.

"The magical world is just like an amusement park!" exclaimed Harley, as they all touched the shoe, including a reluctant Frost, before spinning off into nothingness.

They landed in the middle of the safe house sitting room with a thud; Frost and Harley both falling down on impact. Sirius extended a hand to Frost, who examined it like it might bite her, before accepting his offer.

"Hey puddin', why don't you ever help me up when I fall down?" asked Harley, pouting.

"He's a Lord and a proper British gentleman." retorted the Joker, smirking devilishly before adding "And I haven't been locked up for twelve years either."

Sirius casually took a seat on one of the larger couches in the room, making himself comfortable.

"You seem to be right at home, Lord Black." surmised the Joker. "I would have expected you to be a little less at ease in the company of total strangers."

"Like you said, Chuckles, I've been locked up for twelve bloody years." retorted Sirius casually. "Besides, why would you rescue me just to do me in?"

The Joker laughed merrily as he dragged a large chair to the center of the room then took a seat facing Sirius. "I like you, Lord Black! But please, call me Joker." The Joker rubbed his hands together. "Now, let's all get comfy, shall we? We have a lot to discuss. Not too comfy though, Ivy dear."

Ivy shot the Joker a cold glare before taking a seat on the couch on the opposite side of the room. She patted the cushion next to her and Narcissa sat next to her. Harley hopped up on the arm of the Joker's chair and Sirius motioned for Frost to join him.

"Don't get any ideas, _Lord Black_." said Frost coldly as she accepted his offer. "I'm not only cold – I bite."

"I can bite as well." retorted Sirius, smirking.

" _Stop_ … _please._ " grumbled Ivy.

"Dear cousin," said Sirius, turning his attention to Narcissa "a lot has changed since we last saw each other." His eyes shifted to Ivy. "Where is your dear husband?"

"Oh that _is_ a long story." interjected the Joker. "Before your dear cousin dives in, I believe that introductions are in order!"

"Save the introductions for later." barked Sirius. "Where's my godson? Where's Harry?"

* * *

 **A/N: For better or for worse, I'M BACK! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. No beta, so any mistakes are mine. Please review! I enjoy reading your reviews as much as enjoy writing.  
**

 **I enjoyed writing this chapter, but I had to dust off the old comics and do some research. Wanted to put together a plausible _Joker Goes To Azkaban._ Sorry it took so long.  
**

 **Pop Quiz: Does anyone know which British DC villain was nicknamed "The Baron"? (No Cheating! Yes, Google is cheating.)**


	6. The Meeting Of Wicked Minds

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Five: The Meeting Of Wicked Minds**

"Save the introductions for later." barked Sirius. "Where's my godson? Where's Harry?"

"Why Hogwarts, of course!" mused the Joker. "Where else would a band of wizards forcefully take any twelve year old wizard?"

Sirius frowned hard as he contemplated the Joker's words. "He was forcefully taken to Hogwarts?"

"Forcefully acquired, yes." replied the Joker as Harley stood back up and eyed a poor defenseless end table with malice. "Though I do believe that he remained willingly once they explained where he was. The boy's never been one to pass up a good opportunity. His letter made that clear."

"Then why bust me out of Azkaban?" asked Sirius.

"My sis, Lily, thought of you as family." retorted Harley indignantly.

Sirius studied the stunning blond with red and black pigtails. He could see traces of Lily in her face. Her manic expressions told him of someone that had been exposed too long to the madness.

"Once we found out that you had been wrongfully imprisoned, we immediately sought to make it right." said the Joker, trying to sound sincere.

"Chuckles, I don't think that forcefully removing me from Azkaban before burning it to the ground will help my case." scoffed Sirius.

"Now I admit that you can't just go waltzing down the street, but at least you'll be able to spend quality time with Harry when he returns from Hogwarts." reasoned the Joker. "I mean, life on the run can be tiresome at times, but it does come with its rewards."

"The Baron said that there was money to be made from this deal." snapped Frost. "When do we see it and how much is my cut?"

"Patience Frost." cooed the Joker. "Lord Black and dear Narcissa here are quite well off. You will be paid in due time."

"How is he gonna pay me anything?" retorted Frost. "You just said that he's on the run."

"I can assure you, Frost," said Sirius in a silky tone that he hadn't used in years "that while I may be on the run I can still access my accounts at the Wizard bank, Gringotts. The proprietors of the establishment will not recognize the crimes that I am accused of because they do not value Wizard law."

"Sound like my kind of people." sang the Joker, laughing.

"If they were people, Chuckles, I'd have to agree with you." said Sirius. "Fortunately, they're Goblins."

"I love this bank already." growled the Joker in a feral tone; his sadistic smile ever present.

"What's the next move, Puddin'?" asked Harley, rubbing her bat across her shoulders.

"Now, we lay low for a while." replied the Joker. "We go collect some funds from this Wizard bank and wait. When things cool down, no pun intended," He tipped his hand to Frost "we'll have a little fun with Bats while we wait for Harry's signal."

"Two things, Chuckles." interjected Sirius. "Presuming that you're referring to the guy in the bat suit, he was roasted by fiendfyre. Second, I thought you said that Harry was forcefully taken?"

"There are two people that I have come to _NEVER_ underestimate – Batman and Harry." growled the Joker seriously.

* * *

If you were a student at Hogwarts and your name was Harry Quinn, life was good – relatively speaking. He had made a full recovery from the Mandrake's scream and his magical skills were improving by the day – thanks to his new 'private tutor'. In addition to that, Hermione had been slowly – but steadily – coming to grips with the idea that she was better off labeled a 'freak' than 'normal'. Even though Boot's actions had ruined his birthday surprises for Hermione, he could not help but admit that they had played a major role in her mental transformation. He still desired to murder Boot intimately, but Joseph and Hermione had convinced him that any actions against the little shit would only lead to his expulsion from the school. Any retaliation would have to look like an 'accident'.

The gossip about what Boot had done and how Harry had saved Hermione had quickly died away. They were replaced by non-stop talk of the fall of the mighty Wizard prison, Azkaban. Every day new reports came in via The Daily Prophet about how the prison had burnt to the ground and rumors about what caused it. Harry wondered whether the maniac that had killed his parents had anything to do with it or if could possibly be the work of someone more 'Muggle'.

Harry's first morning back in full classes was going according to plan – until it wasn't. He was thoroughly enjoying making Hermione smile by opening doors for her and helping her with her things. Then, at the end of their first class, Professor McGonagall pulled him aside to inform him that Professor Dumbledore had requested to see him in his office.

Not aware of any public displays over the past few days that would earn him a trip to the 'Principal's Office', Harry had accepted the request as an invitation to discuss what had happened to him in Herbology. He figured that the Headmaster had been watching him carefully; looking for signs of potential danger and just wanted to catch up.

"Lemon drops." said Harry, staring at the stone gargoyle that stood before him.

Harry watched with mild interest as the stone gargoyle moved aside to reveal a spiraling staircase. Both Joseph and Hermione had already informed him of the Headmaster's secret entrance, along with many other secret passages and shortcuts hidden within the castle. He chuckled to himself as the spiraling staircase began to move; lifting him up towards the office door above.

When Harry reached the door, he knocked using the 'shave and a haircut' that his aunt Harley loved so much.

"You may enter, Harry." called Professor Dumbledore.

"You wished to see me Headmaster?" asked Harry as he stepped into the Headmaster's office.

Harry's eyes went wide at the sight of all the shiny silvery objects that adorned the room. He had expected the grandness of the room, but it was the sheer amount of rare looking items that confounded him so.

"Yes Harry." replied Professor Dumbledore. "Please, come in and have a seat."

Harry walked over to the seat in front of the Headmaster's desk and sat down; noting that several of the portraits that hung on the wall were watching him curiously. Professor Dumbledore sat in a high back chair behind his grand desk, watching Harry with amusement; his eyes twinkling unnaturally behind his half-moon spectacles. Fawkes the phoenix, sat on his perch in the corner – observing the room in general.

"Harry, I asked for this little meeting so that I might find out how you are getting along and apologize for what happened in Herbology." continued Professor Dumbledore casually. "It was most unfortunate. Aside from that, have you had any difficulties settling in?"

"Headmaster, thank you for your concern, but I'm sure that if I was having any difficulties – you would be the first to know." replied Harry casually, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Harry," chuckled Professor Dumbledore "I do not keep tabs on each and every student here at Hogwarts. It is my duty to keep an eye out over the student body as a whole. However, your case is very unique – as you well know. You come from a very different background than most of the students here – so you may have a harder time accepting the way things are here. Unfortunately, some of the students may have a hard time accepting you as well."

"Headmaster, the one thing that I have learned over the years is that 'normal' is an illusion." said Harry, placing his hands behind his head.

"Enlighten me, please." said Professor Dumbledore encouragingly. "I would love to hear your views."

"I'm sure that Professor Snape has already passed along our little conversation in Detention, but I'll bite." said Harry, smirking. "Normal is an illusion. You see, what's normal to the spider is chaos to the fly."

"Do you see me as a spider, Harry – or a fly?" asked Professor Dumbledore, now leaning forward onto his desk as though Harry was an interesting book.

"You're no fly, Professor." replied Harry casually, as though he was bored. "Then again, I don't see myself as a fly either."

A portrait on the wall hummed aloud at Harry's statement. Harry glanced at the portrait, hoping to hear the words of wisdom that Joseph said the portraits often liked to spout from time-to-time. Joseph had said that he had been a frequent guest in the Headmaster's office when he first started.

"Phineas." said Professor Dumbledore, clearing his throat in a way of warning.

"Forgive me, Headmaster," said the portrait "but I have never heard such from a Gryffindor before. Even my great-great grandson showed some respect."

"Forgive me for sounding disrespectful." said Harry, addressing both Professor Dumbledore and the portrait. "I was actually paying the Headmaster a compliment."

"Thank you, Harry." said Professor Dumbledore, inclining his head to Harry. "Based upon your background, I accept it as such. Like I have said already… you are unique in many ways."

"Forgive me, Headmaster, but what unique qualities do I have that interest you?" asked Harry, scratching his chin.

"Harry, thanks in hand to your upbringing you are far more mature than other students here your age." said Dumbledore, sounding a little sad. "I had originally wanted to allow you all the privileges of being young, but now I realize that you need to understand what lies ahead of you."

"If you mean by 'privileges of being young' as 'ignorant and foolish'," said Harry dryly "then I would rather be spared my privileges."

Mr J had taught Harry many things, but one of the most important lessons that he had learned was that being ignorant to your surroundings could get you killed.

"I have always believed that there is some small portion of happiness in the ignorance of youth, Harry." said Professor Dumbledore. "The future only becomes more complicated the older you get – trust me on this. However, I will start by saying that of all the students in this school, you are one of the few that have inherited enemies, not from family, but from life already lived."

"One of these said enemies includes the maniac that killed my parents, correct?" asked Harry, raising one eyebrow.

"Correct, I'm afraid." sighed Professor Dumbledore. "As much as people wish to believe that he has gone forever, Lord Voldemort will some day return. In that day, you will be forced to face him as he will seek to finish what he started with your parents."

"Is this why you so aggressively pursued me, Headmaster?" asked Harry, his brow furrowed. "So that you could train me to one day face this Voldemort?"

"Harry, when the time comes that Lord Voldemort returns, I may not be here to combat him." said Professor Dumbledore. "I am quite old after-all."

"Sorry Headmaster, but this sounds too much like a _suicide squad_ scenario." said Harry, standing to leave; tired of what he was hearing. "And I know how those scenarios work. I agreed to come here out of curiosity, nothing more."

"Harry, should Lord Voldemort ever return – many here would be in terrible danger." said Professor Dumbledore. "Muggleborns like Ms Granger, the sons and daughters of those that fought against him like Mr Longbottom and families considered by him to be blood traitors like the Weasleys would be almost certainly facing death at every turn."

"Headmaster," said Harry stopping just shy of the door, not turning to look at him "It doesn't matter what my parents were… I'm no hero."

"It's not a hero that I'm looking for, Harry." said Professor Dumbledore.

"You don't show all your cards, Headmaster." said Harry, turning to face the age-ed Professor. "I admire that."

"With age comes wisdom for those that seek it, Harry." said Professor Dumbledore. "One my age is either very wise or very foolish."

"You ever met a Muggle by the name of Amanda Waller?" asked Harry.

"I cannot say that I have." replied Professor Dumbledore.

"Neither have I," said Harry smirking "but from everything that I've heard about her I think that you two would get along quite nicely."

Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled at Harry; his eyes twinkling again.

"Here's the deal, Headmaster." continued Harry. "Teach me what I need to know to kill the maniac, and when the day comes I'll slay your dragon. Just don't expect anything more from me than that."

"Agreed, Harry Quinn." said Professor Dumbledore, smiling. "Agreed."

Harry turned to leave but paused when Professor Dumbledore hailed him one more time.

"Harry, before you leave, may I ask one more question?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Ask away, Headmaster." replied Harry.

"Has your aunt Harley ever mentioned a man by the name of Sirius Black to you?" asked Professor Dumbledore, a slight ring to his voice that suggested he was trying to be too casual.

"Nope." replied Harry, popping the "P". "Never heard that name before. Should I have?"

"No, I did not think you had." replied Professor Dumbledore. "He was once a friend of your mother and father. He passed just recently and if you knew him… well I was just going to pass along my condolences."

"Sorry, Headmaster," said Harry "but this 'world' was never a hot topic growing up."

"No issue at all." said Professor Dumbledore. "Have an excellent day, Harry Quinn."

 **~~Ace~~**

"What did the Headmaster want?" asked Joseph, taking a seat across from Harry in the Library later that afternoon.

"Sound like Hermione." quipped Harry. "No hello – how are you – have killed anyone today? Whatever happened to the pleasantries?"

"Cut the crap, kid." hissed Joseph. "Your jokes aren't funny to me."

"So tense… so tense." retorted Harry. "Alice not _satisfying_ anymore?"

"I'm going to ignore that comment and move on, kid." growled Joseph. "Now, what did the old man want?"

"Just wanted to kick back, catch up, make sure that I wasn't on the edge… oh, and to let me know that he wants to train me to kill Voldemort when he returns." mused Harry, his hands behind his head.

"He expects You-Know-Who to return?" repeated Joseph in a hushed tone, leaning closer.

"Yeah, he mentioned that to me the first day that he met me." replied Harry. "Only now he expects me to kill the bastard."

"What did you say?" asked Joseph, his brow furrowed.

"I told him sure, why not." smirked Harry. "I mean, he says that the maniac will try to kill a lot of people and I've gotten so use to your smiling faces that I'd hate to see that happen."

"Never would have pegged you for a martyr, kid." snorted Joseph, leaning back in his chair.

"Martyr?" repeated Harry. "You've missed the _point, tutor oh mine_. Martyrs are heroes. The moment I hear that he's back, I'll start planning my ways to kill the bastard."

"I think you're underestimating the bastard, kid." growled Joseph.

"Am I, Joseph?" retorted Harry, leaning forward; a sadistic smile curving his face. "Or are you underestimating me?"

* * *

"Back from re-con so soon?" quipped John Constantine, cracking his neck as he stretched in his chair.

"No sign of the Joker, Frost, Ivy, Harley, Narcissa Malfoy, or even that big black dog of theirs." railed off Batman dryly.

"Surprised?" retorted John, spinning around in his chair to face him. "They just burnt _the_ Wizard prison to the ground and humiliated the entire British Magical Ministry. You're no longer the only person hunting them. They've made their presence felt in the magical community like no Muggle since Hitler!"

"You so sure that Hitler was a Muggle?"

Batman and John spun round looking for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!" demanded Batman.

"People have been demanding that for years." retorted the voice. "Instead, I think I'll just step into the light."

Out of the shadows, cast by the florescentlight of the bunker, stepped a man wearing a long blue trench-coat, suit, fedora, yellow shirt, black tie, gloves and seemingly no face.

"Question?" quipped John. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Like you said, John, the Joker and his gang have been making quite the scene." said the Question. "The question is, why? Of course, we all know the answer – but then, do we."

"What do you think we're missing?" retorted Batman.

"You think it is because of Harry Potter, but why would the Joker burn a prison to the ground when it's not the prison Harry Potter is in." said Question, talking in circles.

"Enough riddles, Q." snapped John. "This entire island has been turned upside down thanks to that cynical clown. Even the Muggles have noticed that something is wrong."

"Yes. The Muggle Ministry was informed so that they can be on the lookout for the notorious villains." agreed Question. "Still, we must answer the question… Why."

"Question, why are you calling people Muggles?" asked Batman. "You and I are both Muggles."

"I'm trying to reduce the confusion, Batman." retorted Question.

Batman rubbed his face and cowl in frustration. The Question had a way of getting to him.

"I'm certain that you have a theory, Q." said John, lighting up a Silk Cut. "Please feel free to share."

"There is one anomaly." said Question. "According to the British Wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet, a wizard by the name of Sirius Black was arrested and sentenced to Azkaban nearly twelve years ago. This Sirius Black was a close friend to Harry Potter's parents. He was convicted of killing one Wizard, thirteen Muggles and betraying the Potters."

"How do you know this?" asked Batman.

"I have a friend that works for The Daily Prophet." replied Question. "She allowed me to look at the archives."

"You believe that the Joker went to all that trouble to kill this Sirius Black for betraying Harley's sister?" asked John in disbelief.

"No." replied Question. "Sirius Black was sentenced without trial. I believe that he was framed and that they went there to rescue him. He would make an incredible ally."

"Then they failed." said John.

"Did they?" retorted Batman. "They had a Witch with them. Remember? For all we know they could have turned him into a matchbox and shoved him in their pocket."

"Or… a large black dog." said John, blowing a long stream of smoke.

"We must assume then that they succeeded… if this was indeed their goal." said Question grimly.

* * *

Harry yawned as he explored one of the secret passages that Joseph and the twins had told him about. It had been a long week, capped off by a midnight training session with Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. Vincent and Gregory weren't as dumb as many portrayed them to be, though he had to admit that next to Neville and Luna they looked like cavemen. Neville and Luna had joined the Saturday night session for the first time. It created a small bit of awkwardness at first, but that soon dissipated as they got down to business.

Harry knew that Hermione, even as far as she had come down the rabbit hole since Boot's attack, still wasn't ready to accept his training methods and might be turned away by such. As for Luna, she enjoyed it thoroughly; learning the art of psychological warfare. Neville, the blunt of many bully's attacks, was like a sponge; absorbing everything that Harry said.

Harry wanted to invite the twins to join them as well, but thought it best to expand the group slowly. Besides, he didn't think that the twins needed much training. If anything, they might be able to teach the group a couple of things about ' _wearing the warpaint_ '.

He had just followed the passage to a hidden courtyard and was about to turn back when he heard someone talking to their self. He wasn't sure if the voice was male of female. It had a unique pitch and sounded rather raspy. Harry edged slowly into the courtyard, staying in the shadows; his wand at the ready.

"Show yourself!" demanded the raspy voice. "Be ye ghostly or fleshly?"

"I be Harry." said Harry boldly, standing up and looking around for the source of the voice; his wand at attention. "Harry Quinn."

"I be Harry." repeated the voice mockingly. "Ye be fleshly ickle student."

"And what are you, my mysterious voice?" retorted Harry, laughing manically.

Suddenly, a small figure of a pale man in a matching bowler hat and vest appeared in front of Harry; floating several feet off the ground. He wore small shoes and striped pants that clashed oddly with his hat and vest. He was almost transparent, but more solid than the ghosts of Hogwarts. Harry tilted his head to one side as he examined the small man floating in front of him. The small man examined him as well.

"Peevsie not scare you?" asked the small floating man.

"Peevsie's your name?" retorted Harry. "Tell me, why would you scare me?"

"My name is Peeves the Poltergeist!" hissed the small man. "Only I call me self Peevsie!"

"So you're a poltergeist!" said Harry, his eyes widening in delight. "I didn't know that Hogwarts had one!"

Peeves circled Harry several times before stopping and laying down in mid air; propping his head up with one hand.

"There's something different about you, ickle student." said Peeves the Poltergeist, squinting at Harry. "Something manic in your eyes and voice. I LIKE IT!"

"If you like it, then call me Harry." said Harry calmly, his smile growing broader. "Tell me, why haven't I seen you around the castle?"

"I was trapped in this courtyard by Dumbledore!" exclaimed Peeves. "Here you can scream, wail, shout all you want but no one will ever hear you."

"Why did he trap you here?" asked Harry.

"Peeves was having too much fun with the ickle students." replied Peeves. "Pulling their hair, pushing them down stairs, throwing brooms at them. He said I was scaring them."

"Isn't that what poltergeists are suppose to do?" asked Harry, thinking of all the tales he had heard growing up in the non-magical world.

"You think Peevsie should be allowed to be Peevsie?" asked the poltergeist.

"Absolutely!" laughed Harry. "You're exactly what this school needs! _A bit of chaos_."

The eyes of the poltergeist danced with wicked intent at the sound of the word 'chaos'.

"Free me, Harry Quiny, and Peevsie will do just that!" exclaimed the poltergeist.

"How do I do that?" asked Harry.

"See that talisman hanging on the pole in the middle of the courtyard?" asked the poltergeist.

Harry looked up to see a golden talisman hanging from the top of a pole in the center of the courtyard.

"I see it." replied Harry.

"Peevsie cannot touch it. Place it in a magical rune trunk and Peevsie will be free to roam the castle once more!" exclaimed the poltergeist.

"Can you not leave the castle?" asked Harry.

"Peevsie am bound to the magic of this castle." replied Peeves. "Peevsie cannot leave. Wizards cannot send me away." The poltergeist circled Harry again, looking excited. "So, Harry Quiny, will you free Peevsie?"

"On one condition." said Harry, scratching his chin.

"NAME IT!" shouted Peeves, doing a back flip.

"From here on out, you do what I say." said Harry calmly. "I will keep the talisman. As long as you do my bidding, I will let you reek havoc on this school."

"Consider Peevsie your humble servant." said the poltergeist, bowing and flashing a toothy grin that would put Mr J to shame. "What be your first request?"

"Revenge." said Harry, laughing sadistically.

Peeves joined Harry in a laughter that would send chills down the spine of any living being.

* * *

Hermione was sitting alone in the common room, waiting for Harry to return when Neville entered from his training session.

"How did it go?" asked Hermione, knowing exactly where he had been. She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for no reason.

"Go?" repeated Neville, looking awkward at her.

"Come off it, Nev." sighed Hermione. "I know that you've been training with Harry tonight."

"Um… how?" asked Neville, not sure what else to say.

"It's okay Nev." said Hermione, gesturing for him to join her on the sofa. "I know that Harry doesn't think that I'm ready to see his other side."

"He's really not any different than usual, Hermione." said Neville, sitting down next to her. "He's just explaining to us why he acts the way he does and how to manipulate those that think they are normal."

"Then why doesn't he think I'm ready?" asked Hermione, biting her lower lip. "I mean I've come to realize that I'm not 'normal', nor will I ever be in the Wizarding world."

"It's not just understanding how they think." said Neville, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Harry doesn't pretend to be mad at times. He embraces the madness. It's like he can turn it on and off like a Muggle motor car. It was bloody scary at first, but he's always in control."

"Did he say how he does it?" asked Hermione, as though studying for a test.

"He said that we need to find our starting point and remember where it is." said Neville. "That way, we can always return."

"I don't understand." said Hermione, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean by starting point?"

"A sane thought, if you will." replied Neville, getting excited. "It's like he has two identities. He said it tonight. When he's calm and calculating he's Harry. When he's manic and scary he's Ace. He said that we have to find our inner ego and let it come out to play, but be able to shelf it at a moment's notice."

"Sounds hard." said Hermione, trying to contemplate the idea.

The sound of the portrait hole closing alerted them to Harry's arrival.

"Waiting up for me?" asked Harry devilishly as he flopped down in a cushy arm chair next to the sofa. "How delightful."

"Neville was just explaining a bit of his training." said Hermione, raising one eyebrow.

"Wow am I tired." said Neville yawning dramatically. "See you in the morning… I hope."

Neville hopped over the back of the sofa and bolted up the stairs before either could say a word. Hermione stared at Harry relentlessly, waiting for him to speak.

"Don't approve?" asked Harry.

"Are you asking or is that what you think?" retorted Hermione.

"So you want to know why I didn't invite you." sighed Harry, standing up and strolling over to the fireplace.

"Scared, Harry Quinn?" asked Hermione, folding her arms.

"Scared?" repeated Harry, looking at Hermione; his eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"Are you scared that I'll somehow see something that scares me and I'll run away?" pressed Hermione, standing up and walking over to face him.

Harry's eyes went wide as he looked at Hermione. He stared so hard that it was almost indecent; causing her cheeks to burn.

"Are you ready to embrace the freak?" breathed Harry.

"I'm tired of being pushed around and feel as though I'm less than others." replied Hermione. "I want to have the confidence that you have. I want to know how you do it."

"Then I will show you." breathed Harry. "I will show you how to make the 'normal' people nervous. I will show you how to find the other person inside you – the 'freak' that they will fear."

Whenever Harry said freak, she felt powerful. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing increased. It was as though he was giving her hope – making a promise to her. She did not fear what the 'normal' people would think. She simply felt sorry for those pathetic souls that would try to stop Harry. She smiled and her smile was reflected in Harry; a manic, dangerous smile.

* * *

 **A/N: Belated Trick or Treat! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know it was a short one. I was planning on releasing my Halloween chapter, but I got caught up in the moment and wrote this one ahead of it. No Beta so any mistakes are mine! Please review! Thanks for reading!  
**


	7. Halloween Games

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Seven: Halloween Games**

Hermione walked through the corridors of Hogwarts – heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. Normally, she was not seen outside the company of Harry or Neville, but this morning she was alone. She had forgotten the essay that she had started on in Charms class and had decided to fetch it before she went down to start the weekend. Luckily for her, Professor Flitwick had been using the morning to catch up on some grading while he prepared for the evening's celebration and was in his classroom.

Hermione was just about to the Grand Staircase when a sneering voice caught her attention.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the insufferable know-it-all herself." said Draco Malfoy, leaning casually against the wall; flanked as always by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Hermione had to shove the book that she was carrying at little higher up in her arms to hide her devilish smile. Harry had been working with her on how to 'remain innocent' until it was time to 'change'. Unfortunately, she found it harder to remain the 'bookworm' around certain people when she so desperately wanted to 'play'.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" snipped Hermione in her stuffiest tone.

"Never see you anymore without Quinn or Longbottom." sighed Malfoy. "What's the occasion? Have they finally gotten tired of you as well? Realized how dull you really are?"

"Harry and Neville are waiting for me in the Great Hall for breakfast, _Malfoy_." retorted Hermione. "Unlike you, I don't need to be escorted around everywhere I go."

Gregory almost smiled, but bit his lip to prevent any slip up. Draco was too focused on Hermione to notice; scowling at her arrogantly.

"You think I need protection?" hissed Malfoy. "You think I'm scared of your new boyfriend… or is it boyfriends? Is that why they keep you around? Are you just the wet middle?"

Hermione lowered her book slightly, so that Malfoy could see her face. Her smile was no longer devilish. It had been replaced by a more feral grin – laced with malice. Malfoy's eyes widened and his body tensed upon seeing her face. She slammed her book down at Malfoy's feet before stepping up on it so that they were eye level; faces only inches apart.

"Patience, Malfoy." purred Hermione, tilting her head to one side; her smile widening. "You'll find out soon enough just why Harry keeps me around."

Malfoy stumbled backwards – his face contorting as he tried to comprehend what was happening. Finally, he regained his composure.

"You're nothing but a mudblood and a freak, Granger." spat Malfoy.

Hermione stepped off the book, rolling the spine up onto the top of her shoe, then launched the book up into the air. She reached out and snatched the book out of the air with her left hand and pulled it back to her chest.

"You say that as though it's a terrible thing." retorted Hermione; smiling broadly as she turned and walked away.

 ****** ACE ******

Harry watched as Hermione entered the Great Hall. Immediately, he recognized the look on her face. It was the same look he saw in the mirror when he had just restrained himself from going too far. Hermione took a seat next to him at the Gryffindor table; tucking her book into the satchel that Harry had carried down for her.

"Thinking of doing something wicked?" asked Harry casually, taking a sip of juice.

Neville, who was sitting across from Harry, stopped in the middle of a bite of sausage and looked at Hermione; not bothering to mask his concern.

"Ran into Malfoy on my way back from Charms class." breathed Hermione. "He was his usual prat self."

"Breathe, Hermione." said Harry, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her directly in the face. "Just as we've practiced. You've came up with a great plan. Right now, we need Hermione. It's not time yet to 'play'."

Hermione breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth several times. Harry watched her eyes soften, bringing a smile to his face.

"Feel 'normal'?" asked Harry.

"Never." whispered Hermione, smiling. "I feel like Hermione and I feel like a 'freak'."

"What did Malfoy do?" asked Neville.

"Do?" repeated Hermione. "Nothing. His simple mind had something to say. That's all."

"Leave Malfoy to me, Hermione." said Harry, a devilish look crossing his face. "Gryffindor's first match is against Slytherin and I'm going to have some fun."

"Have all the fun you like, mate." said Fred sitting down to the left of Neville.

"Long as we beat Slytherin." said George sitting down to the right of Neville.

"Then, you can bury Malfoy." said Fred.

"In the middle of the pitch." said the twins in unison.

"Not again." growled Neville. "Why do you two keep doing this?"

"Sorry, mate." replied Fred, slapping Neville on the back.

"Harry's orders." replied George, shrugging.

Neville looked across the table in disbelief at Harry.

"You agreed, Nev, that you need to work on your focus." said Harry, tilting his head to one side. "What better way to practice focus than to be surrounded by the twins?"

"You'll definitely gain focus, Nev." said Hermione. "Unless they drive you insane first."

"Insane people can be focused as well, Hermione." said Harry defensively before breaking down into laughter.

Hermione, Neville and the twins joined Harry laughing as other Gryffindors looked on.

"Why are you always laughing?" asked Ron, looking at Harry; thoroughly annoyed.

"Well Red," said Harry, snorting himself back somewhat sober "what can I say – I find life amusing."

"What's so amusing this morning?" retorted Ron, squinting at Harry.

"Why me, of course!" exclaimed Harry, spreading his arms wide. "I'm always good for a laugh. Besides, it's Halloween – my _favorite_ holiday! It's time for me to have fun, to laugh and to just be myself."

Seamus and Dean, who were sitting near him, exchanged nervous glances. Harry knew that they were thinking about what he meant by being himself. The thought brought a broad smirk to his face that made Ron flinch. The stage was almost set. Soon it would be time for the curtains to rise.

 ******ACE******

The sun was beginning to set in the sky above as six hooded figures casually strolled down the moderately busy Diagon Alley together. The group walked in sets of two, so to easily navigate the many shoppers that were making last minute purchases before heading in for the night. It was a cold evening in London, but there was an extra chill to the air as they passed by, causing many in the alley to pull their cloaks tighter about themselves.

The group did not break step, even as a merchant offered them the latest copy of Witch Weekly, until they reached their destination; Gringotts. They paused for a moment as a couple within their ranks took in the impressive and foreboding structure. They then proceeded into the bank where they were greeted with even more impressive sights. One in their group approached the first goblin that they saw and whispered something to them. Immediately, the goblin motioned for them to follow him to a side room; closing the doors behind him as he left to fetch another goblin.

"What did you say to him?" asked Narcissa, staring at Sirius as she pushed back her hood.

"I told him that we requested Goblin Sanctuary." replied Sirius grinning, removing his hood as well. "Remember, cousin, goblins don't recognize wizard law within these walls."

"They never have a problem storing our treasures." sneered Narcissa, examining the room with her eyes. "Besides, they give me the creeps."

"They are a tad bit disturbing to look at." mused the Joker, tossing the hood of cloak back and looking about with mild interest.

"Look in the mirror much, Chuckles?" scoffed Frost, kicking the bottom of her cloak to one side as she sat down in one of the arm chairs that lined the room.

Frost had taken to calling the Joker, Chuckles, ever since she had heard Sirius refer to him that way. Ivy laughed in amusement, clearly thinking the same thing while Harley simply snorted her disapproval.

"How might we assist you, Lord Black?" asked a goblin, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"Lord Black." scoffed Sirius, bowing to the goblin. "I do not believe that title has been passed to me yet, due to my residence of the last twelve years."

"Lord Black," said the goblin, bowing "I am Slashtooth, the Black account manager. We goblins do not recognize the laws of wizards inside this bank accept those that we agree upon. At the passing of your father, the title of Lordship passed to you. All that belongs to the Black family within the walls of this bank belong to you, providing you pass the blood test."

"Of course, Goblin Slashtooth." said Sirius, inclining his head. "When you are ready, please feel free to proceed with the test."

"Stretch out your right hand, palm open." instructed the goblin as he extracted a green object from his suit pocket that looked like a pen.

"How does the test work?" asked Frost, watching with mild curiosity.

"I will prick Lord Black with the tip of this pen, madam." explained the goblin. "If he indeed be Lord Black, the pen will glow gold. If he is an impostor, he will die."

"That's effective." mused the Joker, his eyebrows lifting as he watched.

Without hesitation, Slashtooth pricked the palm of Sirius' hand. Immediately, the pen glowed gold before turning back to green. Sirius withdrew his wand and waved it over his hand; healing his palm.

"Ohhhh, you're just full of surprises." cooed Joker, grinning broadly.

"You have no idea, Chuckles." smirked Sirius darkly.

"What can I assist you with today, Lord Black." asked Slashtooth, pocketing the pen.

"I would like a tally of all Black accounts and I will need to withdraw several hundred galleons and convert them over to Muggle currency." said Sirius, bowing to the goblin.

"As you wish, Lord Black." said Slashtooth, returning Sirius' bow. "If you, Mrs Malfoy and your companions would please follow me." The goblin raised a long finger towards the far wall, causing a door to appear. "We shall go this way to my office to avoid prying eyes."

Sirius nodded then extended an arm to Killer Frost; who to his delight, accepted the offer.

"I'll try not to give you frost bite." cooed Frost icily.

"I cast an enchantment upon myself before we left to keep me warm." said Sirius, smirking and earning raised eyebrow from his icy companion. "Works with or without clothes." He added in a whisper, winking.

A wry smile curved Frost's face as she retorted, "We'll see… later."

 ******ACE******

As the whole of Hogwarts gathered in the Great Hall for the Halloween, Harry stopped in the doorway to take in the decorations. Hundreds of Jack O Lanterns floated in the air above the tables, their candles flickering eerily and casting shadows as bats flew in swarms around and above them. The tables were elaborately adorned with skulls, pumpkins and miniature witches on brooms that would fly around the table then land again if you touched them. The enchanted ceiling was a curtain of black clouds; the moon peeking through. The walls were lined with candelabras that flickered as a breeze blew gently about the great room. He couldn't recall ever seeing that many candelabras at once before in his life; even during Christmas.

"Where are the ghosts?" asked Harry, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Oh, they have a party of their own to attend." said Hermione, taking a seat next to him. "They'll be up later. The Headless Hunt always makes an appearance."

"Yeah." agreed Neville, taking a seat on the other side of Hermione. "I think they look forward to this holiday as much as you do."

"Too boring for the likes of you?" asked Angelina Johnson, taking a seat across from them.

"Not at all." replied Harry, shaking his head. "Just not wanting to miss a single thing."

"How come you're not sitting at the head of the table, like normal?" asked Neville conversationally.

"You hang around with Harry Quinn." retorted Angelina, chuckling. "What do you know about normal?" She glanced at Harry then quickly added, "No offense."

"None taken." mused Harry, leaning on his elbows as he grinned at the older Gryffindor; making her look very uneasy. "I presume that you're waiting for the twins and –"

"No." interrupted Angelina, flushing slightly. "I mean, that… well I just don't want to spend the holiday listening to Wood go on and on about our upcoming Quidditch match. I want to beat Slytherin and all, but there'll be plenty of time to practice between now and the match."

Harry continued to smirk at Angelina who fell silent; realizing that she was rambling.

"What's to stop Wood from joining you down here when he spies four members of his team sitting together?" asked Seamus, who had been sitting only one seat down from Harry on the bench; listening to their conversation while waiting for Dean and Ron.

"Harry, of course!" said the twins in unison as they joined the Gryffindor table; sitting to the right of Angelina.

Harry was finding mild amusement at Angelina's reaction when something more interesting caught his attention. Dean and Ron had just joined Seamus and he noticed that Luna's friend and Ron's sister, Ginny, looked as though she was trying to talk to her brother about something that he clearly had no interest. What captivated him was the mixture of rage and fear that was on the girl's face. She saw him watching her and turned pink before giving up on Ron and heading down to sit alone at the table.

"Hey, twin one and twin two." said Harry, not taking his eyes off their sister until he had their attention.

"Yes, oh sadistic one." said the twins, inclining their head to him before smirking.

"What's wrong with your sister?" asked Harry, glancing back down the table at Ginny.

"She's having a rough first year." said twin one (Fred).

"She's become very withdrawn." said twin two (George).

"And moody." said the twins in unison.

Before Harry could ask anything else, Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat from the podium and called the feast to order. Serving platters and bowls full of food appeared on the table with pitchers of pumpkin juice. As everyone began to dig in, Harry snorted in disgust as Ron piled far too much food onto his plate.

"Guy could rule the world, but would rather eat it instead." muttered Harry.

"You referring to our ickle brother Ron?" quipped twin one, noting that Angelina was lost in conversation with sixth year girl and not paying attention.

"Surely not." snorted twin two.

"He has rage, a desire to be great and magic." explained Harry, laying his fork down. "His weakness, like many here, is his willingness to play by the rules."

The twins looked down the table at their brother then looked back at Harry and quipped in unison, "Never."

"You'll have to overlook Harry." interjected Hermione, a devilish look crossing her face. "He can't help but see the potential in everyone."

The twins were about to retort when Professor McGonagall cleared her throat from the podium. A wide smile curved Harry's face as he turned to see that Luna stood in front of Professor McGonagall; holding a parchment of paper.

"The curtain rises." mumbled Harry, smirking broadly.

"Before the Headless Hunt makes their arrival, Professor Flitwick has informed me that Ms Lovegood has written a holiday poem that she would like to share."

There was a smatter of applause from the house tables, followed by whispering.

"I trust that everyone will give her their full attention." continued Professor McGonagall. "Ms Lovegood, you may begin."

Luna inclined her head to the Deputy Headmistress before clearing her throat and reading aloud.

"There once was a spider that lost his cider, which made him very sad;  
The cider had kept him warm and cozy, when the weather was blustery and bad.

One day the spider set out to find his cider, though unsure of where to look;  
When saw a young lad drinking his cider, while reading a heavy book.

The spider asked the boy to return his cider, that kept him warm in his little nook;  
But the boy laughed and made to squash the spider, swinging his heavy book.

The spider didn't holler as he dodged the novel, though it did give him a fright;  
He bit the lad's hand that followed the novel, and waited for him to fall like lead.

It did not take long until the boy was gone, the poison too much for him to withstand;  
Then the spider made for home with his cider, never to be cold again."

"Thank you, Ms Lovegood, for that interesting poem." said Professor McGonagall, giving Luna an odd smile.

While most of the Great Hall merely clapped, clearly not appreciating the dirty blonde's poetry, Professor Dumbledore gave her a standing ovation. Slowly, the rest of the staff table rose to their feet, as did the Ravenclaw table. Harry clapped loudly, smiling brightly at Luna as she returned to her table, while the twins whistled a few times. As she sat back down, Terry Boot stood up and left the Hall in a bit of a hurry; gaining only a mild look of interest from Professors McGonagall and Flitwick.

When all had settled back down, the Headless Hunt made their dramatic appearance. Harry watched the ghosts canter around the Great Hall on their ghostly steeds to the applause of the students. A slight rumble of thunder echoed in the Great Hall as a streak of lightning crossed the enchanted ceiling. The students oohed and awed in appreciation, only to cringe and shriek as a much louder booming rumble of thunder rocked the walls of the Great Hall.

Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet and pointed his wand at the ceiling – and that is when the entire world around them descended into utter chaos. At that exact moment, every floating Jack O' Lantern began to explode like small bombs; sending pieces of pumpkin flying in all directions. The whole of the student body made a run for the doorway; shrieking and yelping as bits of pumpkin struck them in the face and head. The candlesticks in the candelabras started shooting up into the air; exploding like bottle rockets and sending wax everywhere. The ghosts that were present watched in awe as candlesticks and pumpkin pieces whizzed through their torso and ghostly steeds at blistering speeds.

Professor Dumbledore attempted to call for silence, but was interrupted by what sounded like a thousand whoopee cushions being set off at once. Harry paused on his way out of the Great Hall with the rest of the hoard to see Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape staring at one another in total shock. "End of Act One." whispered Hermione into Harry's left ear, sending a shiver of delight up his spine.

 ******ACE******

Terry Boot shook his head back and forth as he came to. He was sitting in a dimly lit classroom; his wrists and ankles tied to the chair. He struggled against his bindings as he tried to remember how he had gotten there. The last thing he could recall was feeling nauseous at the Halloween feast and heading to the lavatory.

"You can stop struggling." said a familiar voice from the shadows; though his mind couldn't place it. "The ropes are enchanted."

"Who's there?" demanded Terry, trying not to sound scared. "Where am I?"

" _You_ … are in Hogwarts Castle." replied the voice silkily from the shadows. " _This_ … is an unused classroom. _I_ … you know by another name… but tonight, you can call me Red."

"WWWhere are yyou and why am I tied to this chair?" retorted Terry, stammering slightly as he peered into the shadows; looking for signs of his captor.

"Excited to see me?" retorted the voice playfully. "Only a little longer… I promise."

"If you don't let me go – I'll start screaming at the top of my lungs." warned Terry, struggling harder against the ropes.

"Silly boy," mused the voice "I'm counting on you screaming… till your vocal chords tear from the strain."

"They'll be looking for me, you tosser!" shouted Terry in desperation.

"No one will be looking for you." giggled the voice. "Not as long as you're sleeping in your bed."

Terry began to shake as a figure began to emerge slowly from the shadows; the sound of heels clicking against the floor echoing throughout the room. Blood red high heeled boots could be seen just beneath dark school robes as the figure walked into the light that only a single candle provided. Next Terry could make out a white blouse, Gryffindor neck tie, then – he screamed. Her face was pale white with ruby red lips, red mascara, dark red eyes that almost glowed and curtained by reddish-brown hair. Her cheeks were streaked with what looked like red lightning coming from her eyes.

"Gra… Gra… Granger?" choked out Terry, fear numbing his senses.

She reached over and gripped his face, her red nails scraping his skin, as she leaned so close that he could feel her breath on his face.

"I've already told you… Tonight… you can call me Red."

"PPPPlease!" whimpered Terry. "I didn't know what I was doing!"

"I believe you… Boot," breathed Red (Hermione), her breath filling his nostrils with the smell of cinnamon "unfortunately… that doesn't matter anymore."

"LLLListen," whimpered Terry "if Quinn is forcing you do this – yyyou can just lllet me go and I promise I'll tell him that you tortured me."

"Forcing me?" repeated Red, smiling. "Oh no… he's _allowing_ me to do this."

Terry squirmed in her grasp, struggling again as he tried to get away; fighting his hardest not to cry.

"Keep listening to the voice in front of you." hissed a voice behind him from his nightmares. "Focus on the voice and never look around. Forget your surroundings and believe that you're alone with the demon before you." Terry shook as another figure knelt beside him; hands folded in front of his face as if in prayer. "It's always the same… easier to believe that somehow there's a way out."

"Qu… Qu… Quinn!" squeaked Terry as Red released his face and squatted down in front of him.

"Quinn's not here right now, Boot." hissed the figure. "Feel free to call me Ace."

"You're tossers! Both of you!" shouted Terry, fear cracking his voice. "Do anything to me and I'll –"

"You'll tell Professor Flitwick?" interrupted Ace. "Or how about the Headmaster himself? Do you really think that you can whisper our names without us hearing?"

Terry started to scoff, but choked instead as several masked figures stepped out from behind him and into the light.

"You see… that madman called Voldemort…" continued Ace, staring into Terry's eyes "the one that murdered my parents. Well, surprisingly enough, he and my mentor, Mr J, share a similar belief. The strongest wear the war paint while the weaker wear the masks. The mask makes us stronger. Makes us capable of doing things that we normally couldn't. The mask can be removed, thus allowing the wearer to walk about undetected – weaker, but unknown. 'Freaks' like me walk the halls of Hogwarts, unnoticed by the 'normal' people like you."

"You were concerned moments ago about someone missing you, Boot." cooed Red. "What you misunderstood is that it's _because_ the 'freaks' go unnoticed is why you'll never be missed. See… Luna Lovegood is one of those 'freaks'. Right now, she is turning in this very moment in the boy's dorm of Ravenclaw Tower – wearing the face of Terry Boot… thanks to a special potion."

"Luna's quite the curious kitten." sighed Ace. "I told her not to let her curiosity get the best of her tonight, but I cannot guarantee anything. Don't be surprised if you're told you acted odd tonight."

"YYYYou're going to let me live?" asked Terry, a breath of relief escaping his lips.

"Of course, you're going to live." mused Red. "You won't want to before the night is over, but you'll definitely live."

"What are you going to do to me?" whimpered Terry, his eyes darting between Ace, Red and the masked figures that loomed between the shadows and the light.

"In your midst tonight is a mixture of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and even Slytherins." said Ace, waving his hand about the room. "All talented, and yet all 'freaks'. Amazing how near-sighted the 'normal' people truly are."

"One is an extremely talented healer." said Red, an evil smile curving her face. "That means that I can do this," She jabbed a short knife into his leg, causing him to scream in pain "as many times as I want without hesitation. It's an enchanted blade, so it's always razor sharp." She twisted the knife causing him to scream louder; feeling as though he might vomit from the pain that shot through his body. "Now," continued Red, a feral growl to her voice "you're going to answer every last one of our questions and do whatever we say."

"STOP! PLEASE!" screamed Terry. "I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY!"

"Good boy." cooed Red, extracting the knife from his leg.

Terry watched through tear-filled eyes as one of the masked figures raised a wand and pointed it towards his leg. Suddenly, a warm feeling spread over his leg and the pain stopped. Before he could say thank you, Red jabbed the short knife into his forearm; sending a blood curdling scream through the room.

"Unfortunately for you…" growled Red "your suffering has just begun… and will only end when I wish it to!"

Red stood up then moved to Terry's right before twisting the knife in his forearm; snapping the smaller bone and causing him to vomit from the sharp, shooting pain. The masked figure waved their wand as Red removed the short knife; healing the break, the wound and clearing the vomit.

"Ace, if you would be so kind as to remove Boot's trainer…" cooed Red, smiling.

Terry struggled against the ropes and begged his captors helplessly for mercy as Ace removed his right trainer – then his sock. He watched as she knelt down then felt something wet and sharp against his smallest toe. "I've always wondered." he heard her mutter, before his own screams filled the vacant classroom once more; as his toe was severed from his foot in one swift slice of the enchanted blade.

How long his torture went on, Terry could never remember. The only thing he could remember was the pain and the laughing; the dark hideous laughing from the students that Hogwarts deemed the 'Bookworm' and the 'Boy-Who-Lived'.

 **A/N: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! I know that it's been a long time, but I'm finally jumping back in. Please review and let me know what you think. Special thanks to Dark Lord Holmes for being beta.**


	8. The Laughing Heir

**An Ace In The Hole**

 **Chapter Eight: The Laughing Heir**

"Good morning Lucius."

Lucius Malfoy opened his eyes to see the Joker leaning over his bed; mere inches from his face. He immediately went for his wand, only to find that it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" asked the Joker, holding up Lucius' wand with two gloved fingers. "You know – you really shouldn't play with your wand in bed." Lucius made to retort, but the Joker raised his other hand in protest. "Before you blow, I brought you a gift! Your dear wife, Narcissa, has returned."

At that moment, the bed shook as a huge battle ax split the mattress; directly between his legs and only an inch from Lucius.

"Oh… and it looks as though she brought the battle ax!" exclaimed the Joker, biting his finger and looking concerned. "Ya know, Lucius old boy, you shouldn't just leave those hanging on the walls! Not going to look, but are the crown jewels still intact?"

"YOU CLOSED MY INHERITANCE VAULT!" shouted Narcissa, fire dancing in her eyes.

"Narcissa! Love!" exclaimed Lucius, sweat pouring from his frightened face as he held his hands out; begging for her to stop. "I can explain!"

"You have thirty seconds to explain, Lucius," growled Narcissa "before I hex off your manhood!"

"I think she means it, Lucy my boy." cooed the Joker, laughing merrily.

"I moved the money out of the vault to keep the Ministry from claiming it as Dark Wizard money!" explained Lucius, swallowing hard, pulling himself up in bed and away from the ax. "With the demise of the Head of the House of Black, the fall of the Dark Lord and Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange being sent to Azkaban – I felt that it was the only way to keep your inheritance safe. The Minister had cleared me and the Malfoy name of any wrong doing. The Black name, however, was tarnished."

"Put it all back!" spat Narcissa coldly.

"Or – Lucius can simply sign over half of his vaults to you."

"Black!" breathed Lucius, wide-eyed with fear as Sirius strolled into his bed chamber.

"Greetings, Malfoy." said Sirius, straightening his robes. "That's Lord Black to you."

"Narcissa," said Lucius, sounding desperate as he turned his eyes back to his wife "I'll find a way to rescue you. I swear."

"Rescue me?" repeated Narcissa, an odd smile curving her face. "I don't need bloody rescuing."

"You'd rather stay with this – this freak?" asked Lucius in awe, glancing at the Joker.

"Now, now, Lucy." chided the Joker, waving Malfoy's wand. "It's not nice to call people names. Even if it's true."

"Besides," said Ivy, striding into the room behind Sirius "she's with me. Not him."

"That makes it better?" retorted Lucius, finding his sneer.

The Joker flopped down onto the bed beside Malfoy, snapping his fingers as he did.

"There ya go, Lucy my boy." smirked the Joker. "Channel that inner bastard."

"Get the bloody hell out of my home!" growled Lucius, glaring at the Joker.

"He's giving me chills." laughed the Joker, shivering with delight.

"Maybe I should ice him then." quipped Frost, as her and Harley joined the party at the foot of Lucius' bed.

"No, my ice queen." growled Sirius. "This one needs to live to see his fate."

"Whatever you say, animal." cooed Frost, tracing Sirius' arm with a single finger.

"Please stop." demanded Harley, scrunching her nose.

Lucius' eyes found Narcissa's once more and saw that they were filled with hatred as she glared at him. She was holding a piece of parchment in her hand in an offering gesture. He started to protest, but spied the wand in her other hand and the ax still wedged into the bed. He took the parchment, grabbed a quill from his nightstand and signed the bottom.

"That wasn't too hard." sighed the Joker, sounding disappointed. "Now, Lucy, be a good boy and stay away from your Ministry, lest you want to see your lovely wife again."

Lucius nodded quickly, looking about the crew of dangerous Muggles that accompanied Narcissa and Black. At that moment, he knew the time wasn't right to argue.

 ******ACE******

"How can you possibly say that Potter isn't behind all this?" demanded Snape as he paced the Headmaster's office.

"We know that Peeves has somehow escaped his banishment, Severus." sighed Dumbledore, looking quite fatigued. "The rude noise at the end of the feast was practically his calling card, regardless of whether he allowed us to see him."

"What about Filch's cat and the warning on the wall?" snapped Snape. "Surely Peeves didn't do that!"

"Severus, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr Potter is innocent of this as well." huffed Dumbledore, now looking to lose patience with his Potions Master. "He would never orchestrate an event that would overshadow the petrifying of Ms Norris, nor is he capable of doing such."

"You underestimate him, Dumbledore." retorted Snape. "I have wondered for many years how he survived the Dark Lord's attack –"

"Severus," interrupted Dumbledore, his voice straining "I have explained to you numerous times why Voldemort was unable to murder young Mr Potter that fateful night. Now, that is quite enough. We have two important matters to deal with and Mr Potter is not the answer to either. First, we must find the medallion and recapture Peeves. Second, we must find out how the Heir of Slytherin has returned and stop him before any students are hurt. As for Mr Potter, his odd behavior is due to his raising. At heart, he is still a child that needs some guidance."

"Very well, Dumbledore." grunted Snape. "Though I believe that any efforts to guide Mr Potter, will find said Professor pulling a knife from his chest."

"Never fear, Severus." chuckled Dumbledore. "I removed his ability to carry a knife about with him before he even arrived for start of term. I truly believe that you overestimate young Mr Potter."

"This Saturday is the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Dumbledore." said Snape silkily as he turned to leave the room. "I believe that we shall see what Mr Potter is capable of. Once he nearly kills one of my house, then maybe you'll be forced to see who he really is and deal with him."

 ******ACE******

Harry watched the commotion below as a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team was helped off the pitch. It had been nearly a week since Halloween and Wood had kept the Gryffindor team so busy training for this match that Harry had barely been able to savor the holiday. Despite Wood's efforts, they were currently down thirty to nothing. Harry could feel Ace begging to come out and 'play', but he had to hold him in a little longer. As soon as the game resumed, it would be time for Ace to make a subtle appearance. He could see Hermione, Neville and Luna sitting together watching the match. He could also see the 'others' mixed into the crowd; the twins hovering below him in their Beater positions.

Luna had thoroughly enjoyed her first Halloween at Hogwarts as well. She had recounted her experience with glee, but sighed every time she thought of how lovely it would have been to see all the pumpkins exploding and the candles flying high into the air in the Great Hall. Truly, she downplayed her activities in the Ravenclaw Boy's dorms, as Boot now had the reputation of enjoying his own company a little too much.

As for Boot, he was recovering slowly from his Q & A with Red. She had easily convinced Boot to tell them all he knew about the day before he attacked her in Herbology. She had kept his toes as a souvenir of the experience, as the potion that 'Healer' had given him would grow back the toes in a week's time. Harry marveled at how much talent there was amongst the 'freaks' of Hogwarts. Boot would keep his mouth shut about the experience, lest he lost his tongue and had to regrow that as well.

The only let down on Harry's first Halloween at the magical school was that someone had tried to upstage him. Someone that everyone referred to as the Heir of Slytherin had nabbed the caretaker's cat and petrified it before hanging it by its tail outside the third-floor girl's bathroom. They even left some kind of message on the wall in blood. While Harry admired their style, he wasn't a fan of their general lack of flash and showmanship. Mr J had taught him that there was no use setting something on fire if there was no one around to enjoy the blaze.

The other thing that irked Harry about this 'Heir' was this person had a reputation of hating students like Hermione, according to Malfoy, because their parents didn't have magical powers. Hermione had questioned Professor McGonagall about the message in blood's reference to a Chamber of Secrets. After a little prodding, the good Professor explained that it spoke of a legendary chamber within the castle that harbored a monster. The idea of a 'Chamber of Secrets' intrigued Harry. As for the 'Monster' – well, that term had been thrown around more than once in his past while monologuing with the Bat about Mr J.

Harry closed his eyes while he waited, cleared his mind and began to hum to himself; focusing on the task at hand. He had promised a Quidditch Cup to Professor McGonagall – and he always kept his promises.

" _Lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _,_ _light_ _-_ "

"Harry?"

"Hey Wood." sighed Harry, opening his eyes while hovering thirty feet above the pitch on his Nimbus 2001.

"What was that about lightning?" asked Wood, hovering next to him.

"Oh nothing." replied Harry, smirking.

"Alright, well we're about to resume play." said Wood, looking back towards the Gryffindor goal posts. "Not sure what happened to the Slytherin Chaser, but her replacement is ready."

"Gotcha." said Harry, giving Wood a salute. "My eyes are peeled and watching for the Snitch."

"Excellent. Remember, stick to the plan. We cannot afford any penalties. Well, back to my post." said Wood, smirking at Harry.

Harry could hear Wood mutter something about not a cloud in sight as he soared away.

"No clouds needed." muttered Harry, as he spied Malfoy hovering near the Slytherin hoops. "Lightning is about to strike."

" _Lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _,_ _lightning_ _._ "

The sound of Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry immediately took off like a bullet; soaring around the top of the pitch to the roar of the crowd. It seemed that today, Gryffindor was the favorite, despite the Slytherins all having brooms like Harry's Nimbus. Speed wise, the Gryffindor team as a whole was outmatched. Wood, however, was counting on his team's skill and, of course, Harry.

" _I was_ _soaring_ _, I was_ _soaring_ _,  
In the middle of an exciting Quidditch match!  
I looked round,  
And I knew there was no_ _thing_ _, no_ _thing_ _I could do_ _!  
My mind raced,  
And I thought, wh_ _ere's that Snitch_ _!  
And I knew, I knew,  
There was no __need_ _, no_ _need_ _to ask_ _you!"_

Harry's voice carried all around the pitch as he sang with all his might; his voice magically magnified so that he even drowned out Lee Jordan's commentary. Then he swooped down below the play, near the stands, and buzzed the pitch with speed as he continued to sing.

" _Sound of the crowd,  
Beating in my heart!  
The __sound_ _of Beater's bats,  
Yeah they tore me __up_ _!  
_ _That's when I knew_ _,  
_ _Lightning was about to strike!_ "

Harry looked back, and to his delight, he saw Malfoy tailing him closely. He threw his head back and continued to sing as he increased his blistering pace.

" _Flew around the pitch,  
Broke the Malfoy in half, as he hit the wall!  
Played some __more_ _Quidditch, yeah Quidditch, and we had some fun!  
We battled the Slytherins,  
Some Quidditch players who gave a good fight!  
Broke all the rules,  
_ _Made the Slytherins look like_ _fools,  
Yeah we, we, we blew their minds!  
_ _T_ _hey were shaking at the knees,  
Begging us to end the game please,  
Yeah we weren't all too kind!  
_ _Oh yeah Slytherin_ _,  
_ _Lightning's about to STRIKE_ _!_ "

The crowd roared with approval as he tore around the pitch, his eyes scanning for the Golden Snitch. Malfoy was trying to stay with him, but looked now to be keeping his distance at the same time. The Slytherin players looked to be rattled by Harry's song, as Gryffindor started to take control of the game. Hermione had read over the rules of the game carefully, and there wasn't a single rule against a player singing during the game. He knew that he was pushing it by magically amplifying his voice, but so far Madam Hooch hadn't called him for it. Harry continued to sing as he pelted straight up behind the Gryffindor hoops; Malfoy still in pursuit.

" _They were shaking at the knees,  
Begging us to end the game please,_"

Harry almost fell off his broom as he heard those in the crowd chanting:

" _Lightning_ _!_ _Lightning! Lightning! Lightning!_ "

Then, Harry saw it. The Golden Snitch soaring along the grassy pitch nearly sixty feet away and below. He looked back to see that Malfoy was scanning the sky and looking clueless. The score was tied now at sixty each, but it wouldn't be for long; the Slytherins were starting to regain their composure. Harry pulled up straight, almost dead center of the pitch and fifty feet above the ground, spun once in the air before he dived like a bullet; laughing all the way.

He weaved past screaming chasers as he pelted for the ground. He could see the Snitch and could hear the whistling sound that meant Malfoy was diving right behind him. He leaned closer to the broom and willed it to go faster as the Snitch took a sudden burst of speed and headed for the Slytherin hoops. Harry pulled up tight and was right on top of it as the hoops came up fast. The Snitch went through the large hoop and so did Harry. Many sounds filled his ears just as he reached out and plucked the Snitch out of the air.

Harry came to a halt and spun round to see the crowd roaring with delight as he held up the Snitch in his right hand. He roared with laughter when he saw Malfoy and the Slytherin Keeper lying in a heap on the grassy pitch. Apparently, Malfoy had been right with him, but collided with the Keeper as he tried to follow Harry through the hoops. He could see the Hospital Wing Matron running across the pitch to check on the fallen players. Madam Hooch's whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. Final score: Gryffindor two hundred and ten points, Slytherin sixty points. It was possibly one of the fastest and weirdest matches in Hogwarts history.

Harry swooped down towards the stands as his fellow Quidditch teammates cheered and celebrated. He slowed down as he circled the pitch once more and began to sing again.

" _W_ _e've won the fight!  
Yeah, yeah, yeah!  
_ _W_ _e've won the fight!  
Baby, baby, __baby_ _!  
_ _W_ _e've won the fight!  
_ _Yeah, yeah, yeah!_ _  
_ _W_ _e've won the fight!  
Slytherin… __Lightning's just STRUCK_ _!_ "

Harry could hear Professor Snape shouting about unfair play and poor sportsman like conduct, no one was really listening or caring. As the Slytherins booed, the rest of the crowd continued to chant, "Lightning! Lightning! Lightning! Lightning!"

Harry landed on the grassy pitch and was quickly joined by his team. He looked up into the stands to see Hermione, Neville and Luna heading down to meet up with him. He could also see Joseph clapping, while wearing a wry smirk on his face. The day was his and he couldn't help but laugh. His singing and his 'freakishness' was being celebrated by 'normal' people in a school of Witches and Wizards. The sheer irony and madness of the thought brought a tear to his eye.

The students were ushered back up to the school where the celebration would continue in the Gryffindor common room. Neville, Hermione and the twins helped sneak Luna in as well. She would be no more missed in Ravenclaw Tower than she was on Halloween night.

"Incredible catch!" exclaimed Twin one (Fred), slapping Harry on the back.

"And incredible singing voice!" laughed Twin two (George).

"Not to mention the way you took care of Malfoy." added Seamus, toasting Harry with one of the twin's contraband butter beers.

"Malfoy was just a bonus, Seamus." said Harry, bowing. "His time is coming though, I assure you."

Seamus smiled nervously then rejoined Ron and Dean.

"Stop making the 'normals' nervous." whispered Hermione into his ear. "They might wet the floor."

The party was going on as though they hadn't won a game in years. He knew that beating Slytherin was important to his house, but it was the carnage and chaos that had made Harry so happy. He also knew that it was their victory that was making all the 'normals' happy and wanting to be near him. That would change soon enough, he was sure.

"Where's Ginny?" asked Luna, looking about the common room. "I haven't seen her since we left the Quidditch pitch."

"I'm sure that she's up in her dorm room." replied Hermione. "I'll go check on her for you."

Luna nodded her appreciation before turning her sights to Harry.

"When will it be my turn?" asked Luna dreamily.

"Soon." breathed Harry. "Very soon."

This seemed to satisfy Luna, as she nodded before skipping off to grab a sandwich from a nearby tray of food.

"What's soon?" asked Ron, walking up to Harry while chewing on some form of cookie.

"You wouldn't understand, Weasley." sighed Harry, staring at the currently useless waste of space.

"Wait… what did you call ickle Ronny?" asked the twins in unison; smiling devilishly. "What happened to Red?"

"I've suddenly found a new fondness for the name 'Red'." explained Harry, smirking at the twins who were fully aware why. "Sorry if I have offended your family." apologized Harry to the twins before turning back to Ron. "You wouldn't understand, Robin."

The twins and Neville roared with laughter as Ron's ears began to glow red. For a moment, it looked as though Ron was going to tackle Harry; clearly reaching his breaking point.

"What's the problem, Ronald?" asked Harry, a corrosive smile curving his face. "Don't like my new name for you or is it something else?"

"Why must you constantly call me names?" growled Ron. "My name is Ron Weasley."

"Names are important, _Ron_." retorted Harry calmly, cracking his neck. "You took 'Red' as an insult, the way others identify 'freak' as an insult when they call me one. I value names – like Quinn. It may not be my birth name, but it represents who I am. I can see it in your eyes. You desire to be like me, but you don't know how. Accept who you are and maybe one day you'll have a name that represents you – if you're willing to embrace it."

Ron's face was blood red as he turned and stomped away; knocking over a chessboard as he made his way for the boy's dorms. Harry smirked as one of the enchanted chess pieces swore loudly at Ron.

"You can't help everyone, Harry." whispered Hermione into his ear.

"There's potential there." said Harry, still staring at the entrance to the boy's dorms with a dark look in his eyes. "He has so much rage… such a waste." He turned to face Hermione and looked at her with pride; his gaze causing her to blush. "Nothing wasted here. Tell me, were you able to lure the youngest Weasley down to the party?"

"Of course." retorted Hermione, smirking. "Luna grabbed her though, the moment she entered the common room."

"Good. Luna needs a playmate." said Harry, smirking.

"When are you going to let her 'play'?" asked Hermione casually.

"Luna put you up to asking?" retorted Harry, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope." replied Hermione, popping the "P" then smirking at him.

Before Harry could respond, Professor McGonagall entered the common room. She began to give what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech when she spotted Luna.

"Ms Lovegood!" gasped Professor McGonagall. "What are you doing in Gryffindor Tower?"

"Visiting with my friends." replied Luna dreamily.

"This common room is for Gryffindors only, Ms Lovegood." snapped Professor McGonagall, folding her arms.

Luna looked down at her shoes and Harry felt a savage rage burn in his chest. If he had been Mr J, the Professor would have been dead by now. Luckily for her, he was Ace.

"I'm the one that allowed her to come, Professor." said Harry, speaking up. "She's our friend and I wasn't aware that this school was that way."

"What way is that, Mr Quinn?" asked Professor McGonagall, raising an eyebrow.

"Segregated." replied Harry. "I mean, I know that she can't stay here all the time, but why is it off limits for her to even step foot in a room known as the 'common room'? First, we're forced to join a school house. Then, we must eat at different tables, sleep in different dorms and now we can't even visit other common rooms?!"

"Mr Quinn, I understand that you were raised as an American, but I would ask that you respect our rules and laws while you're here in Britain and more importantly – in this school." retorted Professor McGonagall in a clipped tone.

"There's no law or rule against students visiting other common rooms or sitting at other tables during special occasions, but it's not encouraged either." said Hermione clearly and boldly; staring at Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall stared at Hermione, and Harry knew that she was shocked to hear the 'Bookworm' speak out against a teacher.

"My apologies, Professor." said Harry, taking advantage of the moment. "I'm just still not use to the rules and law around here. However, being that we beat Slytherin today," the common room roared in appreciation "would this be considered a special occasion?"

"Very well, Mr Quinn," conceded Professor McGonagall, biting her lower lip "Ms Lovegood can stay. Providing – that she's not caught out of her common room after hours wandering the corridors."

"No one will catch me, Professor." said Luna dreamily.

"Yes, well..." sighed Professor McGonagall, eyeing Luna suspiciously "please keep the party to a reasonable level and everyone be in bed before the sun comes up. I don't care if tomorrow's a day off or not. I will not have a bunch of layabouts in my house because they won a single match." She paused for a moment, staring at Harry, then glancing about the room. "Win the Quidditch Cup and you can party the whole weekend."

Harry saw the Professor smirk at her own wit before becoming stone-faced once more. She turned and swept from the room; closing the portrait behind her.

"Did she just make a joke?" asked Twin one in surprise.

"I believe that she did, oh brother mine." replied Twin two.

"Fine work out there today, Harry." said Wood, stepping over to the group and patting Harry on the back. "That was a unique idea – singing. I was afraid we might draw a penalty, but it was the Slytherin's fault for not scouting us better."

"When has Harry sang in practice?" asked Hermione, looking at Wood curiously; having been to every one of the Gryffindor practices.

"He hasn't." retorted Wood. "I just meant that between dancing around like a chicken on a broom to pretending that he's sweeping the pitch, Harry is quite unpredictable. Had they sneaked in a spy, they would have known not to be distracted."

The group, including Wood, broke down laughing as they remembered some of his antics. Harry's laugh became a little too ruckus, earning more than one nervous glance from the common room. The twins smelled the opportunity and seized it by proclaiming, "All hail the Laughing Heir of Gryffindor! Slytherin's Heir beware!"

 ******ACE******

Luna entered the Ravenclaw common room to see Terry Boot sitting alone and reading what looked to be a fourth-year potions book. He lowered the book to see who had entered the common room, before returning it to eye level. She walked straight over to him and stepped on his right trainer with her heel where his toes had grown back; digging in hard. Boot would have screamed in pain, but a quick jab to his throat by Luna's petite fist prevented him.

"I will be leaving shortly to go to out." said Luna dreamily; her tone conversationally yet icy. "I know Ace promised to slice out your tongue should you tell of Halloween, but I will remove an appendage if you tell a single soul that I have left this tower. Simply nod if you understand."

Boot quickly nodded, biting his fist to keep from screaming again as she wiggled her foot.

"Funny that word – 'appendage'." mused Luna, removing the heel of her trainer from his foot. "Did you know that it also means for one to be subordinate or of a dependent position to another person? Not a slave mind you, but someone that owes another something."

"I don't follow." coughed Boot, massaging his foot through his trainer.

"Oh, okay." said Luna dreamily before slapping Boot across the face as hard as her small frame could; nearly knocking him out of his chair. "Follow me now? I asked Ace to spare you, so you owe your life to me, Terry Boot."

"What happened to you?" asked Boot, just above a whisper; holding his face. "How can you side with those devils? You seemed so sweet."

"You never called me sweet before, Terry Boot." said Luna in her dreamiest voice. "You were one of the first to call me Loony Lovegood. Remember? Now, nearly all of the school calls me that."

"I'm sorry." whispered Boot, looking at the floor.

"Why are you sorry?" asked Luna. "I admit that I didn't like it at first, but now I'm glad. It's one of the reasons that has compelled me embrace my inner me. I'm not like you, Terry Boot, and I never will be."

Luna spun on her heel and strolled away from Boot; towards the girl's dorms. He didn't dare move a muscle as he watched her disappear from view. Several minutes later, she re-emerged from the dorms and headed straight for the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower; not even bothering to give him a sideways glance. He watched as she stopped short of the entrance, withdrew her wand and waved it; her hair suddenly turning bright pink with red streaks around the edges. She pocketed her wand then opened the entrance and left Ravenclaw Tower.

 ******ACE******

Draco Malfoy sat up in one of the beds in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, staring furiously at a piece of parchment in his hand. The moment he had been admitted to the infirmary after his first Quidditch match, he had quilled his father. He told him all about what that freak, Harry Potter, had caused him to do. He also informed his father what Potter had been doing all over the school since he had arrived at the first of the year.

He had expected his father to send a furious response to the Headmaster, demanding that the freak be dealt with. Instead, Draco had received a brief letter from his father, warning him against crossing Harry Potter and that he was not to leave the school grounds under any circumstance or with anyone other than his father. He simply could not believe his father's response. He read it over and over again, looking for hidden signs that his father was going to do something, but there was none. Suddenly, the paper ignited into flames in his hands. He shrieked as he threw the paper onto the floor.

"What's the matter, Malfoy?" hissed a voice from the end of his bed.

Draco jerked as he looked up to see Potter, wearing his face paint again and leaning against the foot rail. "Madam Pomfrey!"

"Did you receive bad news from home?" asked Potter casually, a sick smile curving his face; not looking one bit concerned.

"MADAM POMFREY!" shouted Draco.

His eyes darted all around the wing. Not only was the Matron not coming, but it seemed that nobody else could hear him. There were two other students in the wing, including the Slytherin Keeper Bletchley, yet they remained fast asleep.

"Tell me, Malfoy," sighed Potter, taking a seat at the end of his bed "what injury keeps you trapped in the infirmary tonight? Or are you just faking it because you have a thing for the nurse. I mean, she's old, but you might be into that experienced –"

"How did you get in here, P- Quinn?" interrupted Draco, suppressing a shiver. "What have you done to the other students and Madam Pomfrey?"

"Do? Quinn?" repeated Potter (Quinn), pointing at himself. "I didn't _do_ anything. They're all asleep – and it would be kind to keep your voice down, lest you wish to disturb them. As for Quinn – he's not here right now, but you can call me Ace."

Draco knew that he wasn't going to get a straight answer from Potter, and he didn't think it wise to pull his wand on the freak again. He did, however, place his hand in his pocket – just in case.

"What do you want?" growled Draco. "Come here to gloat?"

"He thinks I'm here to brag." chuckled Ace (Quinn/ Potter).

"Wh-Who are you talking to?" asked Draco, frowning.

"He doesn't even know who I'm talking to!" cackled Ace, making the hairs on Draco's arms stand up.

Draco looked around the Hospital Wing, but there was nobody around awake, except for he and Potter. ' _The git was trying to get inside his head_ ', thought Draco, sneering.

"Don't get so upset, Malfoy." cooed Ace, smiling. "Not many do. Just know that they're always watching – _always_."

Draco drew his wand, but watched in horror as it soared across the wing before being snatched out of the air by a witch as she stepped out of seemingly nowhere; laughing merrily. She wore white face paint that was covered by red lightning streaks, dark red lipstick and had eyes that almost glowed red. She stared at him devilishly and he immediately realized that it was Granger.

"Ready to find out why Ace keeps me around?" quipped Granger, smiling broadly.

"Now, now, Red." cautioned Ace, holding up a finger in Granger's direction as he rose to his feet. "Malfoy comes from a sophisticated background. You haven't even formally introduced yourself, yet you're all ready to _play_."

Draco's eyes darted back and forth between the two, completely mad, figures standing before him. Whatever they had done was preventing anyone from waking up or hearing him. He was trying not to panic, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it together.

"Forgive me, Malfoy." simpered Red (Granger), giving a mock curtsy as though before royalty. "I completely forgot my manners. I'm The Red Witch, but you can call me Red. Hermione Granger has stepped away so that I can play. Don't worry though, Ace won't let me bite tonight."

Suddenly, the Ravenclaw girl that read the Halloween poem stepped out from behind a nearby privacy curtain. Draco pushed himself harder up against the metal head rail of the bed as he looked at her. Her face looked like someone had splashed it with light blue and hot pink paint. Her hair was a mixture of bright pink and dirty blond with red streaks in it.

"Hello, Draco Malfoy." said the girl in the same airy voice that she had read the poem with. "My name is Stain. Wanna play?"

Draco's eyes went wide as the girl raised her wand in his direction. Immediately, pain shot through his body as though he was being burned from the inside. He knew that she wasn't using an Unforgivable Curse, for he had seen them performed first hand, but the pain was as bad as anything he had ever felt. He bit down, trying not to scream; his vision going white from the agony. The girl lowered her wand and the pain ceased.

"I really didn't want to do this, Malfoy," whispered Ace, mere inches from his ear "but from the moment we met on the train, you've been begging for my attention. The Watchers agree with me." Draco watched as Ace stepped back from him. "It's a shame that you're too dense to recognize all the wonderfully talented future witches and wizards about you." Ace waved his hand in the direction of Red and Stain, who curtsied. "Blinded by your status and wealth." Ace leaned in close and whispered, "We could have been brothers… oh, how thin the line is between love and hate. Your world looks to me as a hero. They want me to slay their dragons. One day, your world might even look to you to save them from the 'Monster'." Draco watched silently as Ace strolled around his bed; playing with the young girl's pink hair while running a hand down one of Red's arms in passing. "Mr J taught me that the making of a man requires trials and challenges. If you're Jewish, no offense intended, but consider this Malfoy's Bar Mitzvah!"

"I'm not Jewish, Quinn." retorted Draco, suddenly feeling bolder.

"I know that." sighed Ace, smirking at Draco. "Now, I feel that it be only fitting that the ladies make you a man… though I doubt that you'll enjoy it."

Draco had heard enough. He bolted from the bed and made a break for the large doors to the wing; stepping on Bletchley's legs as he jumped over his bed in an effort to escape. The Slytherin Keeper didn't even budge.

 ******ACE******

"Awe, that was disappointing." sighed Stain, looking up at Ace.

"No worries, little sister." said Red, smiling. "Remember, we started a joke that has the whole castle sleeping."

"Not Terry Boot." corrected Stain. "I had a conversation with him before I left Ravenclaw Tower."

"That was over an hour ago, little sister." said Red, stroking Stain's hair lovingly. "Besides, didn't you say that he is coming along nicely?"

Stain nodded in agreement.

"Ladies, Malfoy needs to return to the Hospital Wing – for his own good." said Ace, hating to interrupt his two favorite ladies – next to Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy, of course.

"No worries, Ace." purred Red. "Twin One and Twin Two have confirmed that all the castle is asleep. Potions knows his craft."

"Yes Red… but I would _really_ like to finish this tonight." said Ace, running a finger down her left arm; causing her to shiver.

"I'll go fetch him, Ace." said Stain, looking excited.

Ace looked at Red and saw his smile reflected in hers. He knew that they were thinking the same thing. It was time to let Stain 'play'.

"Okay, Stain, my dear." said Ace darkly. "Just remember to bring him back here with all his parts intact. Okay?"

"Okay, Ace." agreed Stain dreamily, before turning quickly and skipping off towards the large doors to fetch Malfoy.

Ace roared with laughter, his body shaking with delight. "RUN MALFOY! RUN! DON'T MAKE STAIN SAD!"

At that moment, Ace heard the same voice that he had heard in detention. " _So hungry!_ " His eyes narrowed as he thought about the possibilities. If there really was a Chamber of Secrets, then could he be hearing the 'Monster'? He looked at Red and could tell that she hadn't heard the voice. He was used to hearing things that Red, Stain and the Others didn't. ' _Had the 'Heir of Slytherin' avoided the sleeping potion somehow_ ', pondered Harry. ' _Perhaps it was time for the 'Heir of Slytherin' to meet the 'Laughing Heir' face-to-face_ '.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Not nearly as long as the last time, but like I said, I'm finally back in! Please review and let me know what you think.  
**

 **Special thanks to Dark Lord Holmes for being beta. Any mistakes are now his. Now, RUN MALFOY! RUN! ;)  
**


	9. The Devil's Dance Floor

**An Ace in The Hole**

 **Chapter Nine: The Devil's Dance Floor**

* * *

 **A/N: Warning - Mature audiences only**

* * *

Draco fell against the wall, just outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room, panting hard and clutching his side. Sweat was pouring from his face and he had to wipe his forehead to keep it out of his eyes. He knew that once he was inside his common room, that freak and his band of misfits wouldn't be able to touch him. He figured that he would simply wait until morning then tell Professor Snape all that had happened. A smirk curved his face as he imagined Potter, Granger and that Ravenclaw girl being expelled from the school.

Pushing himself up, he made his way over to the Slytherin entrance, recited the passphrase and waited for the door to slide open. His smirk faded, replaced by a look of horror, as the door slid open and two hooded figures stepped into the corridor; their wands drawn.

"W-What's going on?" Draco stumbled backwards, trying to keep his footing. "Who are –"

The two figures struck Draco with stinging hexes, dropping him to the floor in pain. He couldn't see the two figure's faces, but he knew that they were part of Potter's misfits. Somehow, they had gotten into the Slytherin common room and had been waiting for him. Draco forced himself to his feet and fled back up the stairs towards the main floor. He wasn't sure where he was going, but at this point he'd be happy to find a broom closet and curl up until morning.

As he crested the staircase, he heard a sound that chilled him to the bone.

"Draaacoo," cooed a high pitch voice from the floor above him. "Where did you run off to? Don't you want to play with me?"

Draco stifled a whimper by biting his hand as he dashed into the Great Hall, looking for a place to hide. He quickly made his way up to the staff table and hid behind the Headmaster's chair. It was the largest at the table and he could hide behind it without being seen. While he was still catching his breath, he heard one of the doors to the Great Hall swing open.

"Draaaccoo," called out the psychotic Ravenclaw as she entered the Great Hall. "Come out, come out wherever you are! What other games do you like to play?"

He could hear the light footsteps of the small demon coming closer and closer. He waited until she was almost behind him before jumping to his feet and leaping across the table. He sprinted through the Great Hall, bursting through the doors. Glancing back, his hearted leaped into his throat at the sight of the smile on the small girl's multicolored face as she skipped after him.

 *****ACE*****

Ace stood silently outside the hospital wing, eyes closed. He was listening for the voice. It wasn't like the voices of the Watchers that he normally heard. This voice didn't criticize his actions. It didn't laugh merrily when he did something wonderful. It didn't wonder what he was going to do next. This was an audible voice.

 _"Time to feast!"_

His eyes flew open as he sprinted off, following the voice as it echoed through the empty corridors. When he reached the staircase, he wasted no time. Closing his eyes, he leapt over the bannister. Focusing his magic, he landed safely on the floor below. With his eyes still closed, he listened for the voice or any sounds of movement. A small thud in the distance caught his attention. Again, he sprinted off down the corridor before him, towards the sound which intrigued him so. He reached the end and turned into the adjoining corridor to behold an intriguing sight. With a swipe of his hand, Ace became Harry.

"Well hello there, Ginny."

"Quinn?"

"Please. Let's not be so formal. Call me Harry."

Ginny was taken aback to see him. Clearly, she wasn't expecting to be found. There was something familiar, yet distant about the way she looked at him. Almost as though she was seeing him for who he was for the first time.

"W-What are you doing down here?"

"I heard something interesting and thought I'd go for a jog. How about you? What brings you down to the second floor?"

"I-I couldn't sleep. Thought a walk would help. Then I heard something running through the castle. Next thing I know, you come sprinting round the corner."

"Weren't you at supper tonight?"

"I-I wasn't hungry."

Harry smiled. "No wonder you couldn't sleep. You didn't have your pumpkin juice. Ya know what … this is the longest conversation we've had since I've been here."

That's when Harry saw it. Something behind the eyes. Something dark.

"Well, guess I'd better get back to the dorms. Night Harry."

She turned to leave, but Harry grasped her arm and felt an unnatural chill. When she looked back, the shadow of a smirk lingered on her face.

"You're not like the others in our house, Ginny. You're like me. You wear a mask too."

Mr. J had taught him about the power of a person's name. Saying it always brought about a response of familiarity. When he looked into her eyes, he saw none.

Her tone was instantly cold and hard. "What are you talking about?"

"When you're ready to 'play', you know where to find me."

Harry released her arm and watched as Ginny sprinted off without another word. He closed his eyes and waited, but the voice was gone.

"Interesting," Harry muttered to himself, swiping his face and becoming Ace once more.

Ace knew the Weasleys weren't a very complicated family. While the twins could be wicked at times, they weren't evil. Murder would never be an option for them. Yet he sensed a darkness about the youngest Weasley which just didn't fit. He would definitely keep a closer eye on her from now on.

 *****ACE*****

Draco dived through an open door, into an abandoned classroom. Sliding under the table which lined the front of the room, he attempted to catch his breath. He tried to force himself to remain still, but his nerves were too badly shaken. The little devil would find him. He was sure of it.

"Draaaco!"

He wrapped his arms around his chest, trying not to panic.

"Draaaco!"

Her voice was drawing closer. Any moment the little freak would find him. He wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Draaaco!" The door to the classroom slid open. "Are you in here, Draco?"

He held his breath and waited.

"Come on Draco. I just want to play another game."

He wrapped his arms around his legs, making himself as small as possible. He could hear desks flipping over as she searched for him. Moments later he heard the door open then slam shut. He waited for several minutes before easing out from under the table.

"There you are!"

Draco spun around, time slowing as his fear piqued. He never saw her face before something heavy collided with his. He felt the back of his head hit the floor as all went black.

 *****ACE*****

"Peeves!"

Ace waited outside the Great Hall for the wicked little poltergeist to appear. With a pop, the little man in the bowler hat appeared before him.

"Master summons Peevsie?"

"Been following me?"

"Forgive Peevsie, but there always be something wicked about when you wear your white face."

"No worries, Peeves." Ace flashed a wicked smile. "Tell me … are there any places within this castle where someone might hide something big?"

"Oh yes. Peevsie knows of just the place!"

"Can you take me there?"

A toothy grin split the little imp's face. "Peevsie shall take you there, oh wicked one!"

 *****ACE*****

John Constantine and Bruce Wayne entered the magical village of Hogsmeade. John had convinced Bruce to keep the cowl hidden until it was necessary. The rune covered amulet John had given Bruce allowed his to pass easily through the Muggle repellent charms and other wards which surrounded the village. He hoped the same could be said for those guarding the castle.

"What can I do for you?" asked a bearded man as they entered a local inn called the Hog's Head.

"Hello Aberforth."

"Constantine? Is that you?"

"In the flesh. This is my apprentice, Bruce Mage."

Bruce nodded to the bearded inn keeper.

"What brings you here?"

"I've come to see Albus Dumbledore," John replied with a smirk.

The inn keeper mirrored his look. "I take it that Albus isn't expecting you?"

"The less you know, the better."

"Should be the motto for the Hog's Head!" The man roared with laughter at his own wit.

Bruce smiled, but he didn't care for all the niceties. As Bruce Wayne, he was often forced to play the 'playboy' to keep himself above suspicion. Playing nice while 'undercover' wasn't normally his style.

The man showed them up to a clean yet dingy room, where they could spend the night. At dawn, they would head up to the castle.

"What's on your mind?"

"Why do you think something's on my mind?"

"Oh, come off it, Bruce. I can almost hear your thoughts. I'm just looking for some clarification."

"I despise the waiting."

"I understand that the night is more your thing, but it's best to wait until the morning. Less chances of being hexed." John lit up a silk and drew off a long haul. "One of the advantages of wizard living. They never worry about second-hand smoke."

"Do what you want." Bruce withdrew his 'work clothes' and pulled on the cowl. "I'm headed out."

"Remember, Bruce. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are teaming with witches, wizards and all manner of magical beings. A hooded cloak would be less conspicuous than a cowl."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Before John could say another word, Batman was off out the upper window. He knew John was right, so he pulled on a cloak over top his gear as he made his way up the winding path to the castle grounds. He would have to search along the outer wall for a weakness once he got close, knowing the caretaker wouldn't simply let him in. He wondered how often the wizards of Hogwarts tested their securities.

Upon approaching the outer wall, Batman was unnerved to see the gates standing open. Was the security so laxed that the caretaker often forgot to close the gates at night, or had the Joker beat him there?

He slipped into the grounds and edged along the shadows of the forest until he reached the caretaker's hut. Immediately, the booming barking of a massive dog inside the hut alerted the world to his presence. Batman slipped into the forest for cover and waited, but the half-giant didn't burst from the hut with his trusty crossbow. Now, he was certain there was trouble.

Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly made his way towards the castle. He kept to the shadows, but he was now watching for signs that his old nemesis was about. He reached the wall of the castle without a single obstacle in his path. Not being one to use the front door, he grappled to the lowest balcony and decided it was the best place to begin.

 *****ACE*****

A tickling sensation was the first thing Draco felt. The next thing was the ropes which bound his arms, followed by the ropes that bound his legs. His eyes flew open to see the ceiling in the hospital wing. Panic flooded his aching body as he struggled to break free.

"Oh look, Stain dear. He's awake."

He lifted his head to see Granger and the Ravenclaw girl standing at the end of his bed.

"You were naughty to run, Malfoy," purred Granger.

She walked slowly around his bed, brandishing a silver knife as she drew closer to his torso.

"You don't scare me, G-Granger! You won't do me in. You're a Gryffindor."

Granger laughed. "Granger's not here right now. Now, why do you think I do you in, Malfoy? What could I possibly gain from your death?"

"How would we ever have any fun?"

He tore his eyes away from Red's (Granger's) face to see the Ravenclaw demon walking slowly up the other side of his bed, tickling his side with her finger as she did.

"Know what the difference is?" asked Red.

"Between pain and pleasure?" asked Stain.

"Please let me go."

"Don't lose your edge, Malfoy."

"Yes, Draco. Don't give up. Just give in."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to be mine, Malfoy."

He could feel the edge of the blade sliding slowly across his shirt. She was merely scraping the fabric as she toyed with him.

"Thought you'd be saving yourself for Potter!" hissed Draco, attempting to reclaim his nerve. "Or has he already had his way with you?"

Red tilted her head to one side. "Who?"

"P-Quinn!"

Red smiled. "Oh, you mean Ace."

"Do you know the difference?" whispered Stain in his left ear.

"Between pain and pleasure?" whispered Red in his right.

It took everything he had to keep from screaming as a tear betrayed him.

"Nothing," whispered both girls at the same time.

Draco closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst. His eyes flew open as he felt soft fingers grasp his bare foot.

"It's your turn, little sister."

He jerked his head up to see Red handing a silver knife to Stain. He tried to pull his foot free from her grasp, but the rope held it still. He struggled and pulled as hard as he could, the ropes digging into his wrists and ankles.

"First, we play, Malfoy, then you'll tell us everything we want to know."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know! I swear!"

Draco pulled harder, his blood beginning to soak his bindings.

"Not until after we play, Draco. We have to follow the rules."

He shook the bed, pulling with every muscle he had. "What rules!"

"Take the little one, sister dear."

Before Draco could say another word, his screams pierced the silence, echoing throughout the sleeping castle.

 *****ACE*****

Ace waited until Malfoy's screams ceased before entering the hospital wing. He crept in slowly to find his ladies admiring their work as Malfoy quivered in the bed, sobbing silently.

"How's the patient?"

"Malfoy has been a simply lovely patient."

"Draco's ready to tell us whatever we want to know or do whatever we ask. Aren't you?"

Draco nodded, refusing to look at anyone while Stain ran her hand up and down his torn shirt.

"Lucky man, Malfoy," sighed Ace. "Having two caring nurses tending to you. Unfortunately, I require the services of the lovely Red."

"What do you wish for me to do?" Red breathed, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Patience," whispered Ace, before darting to the head of Draco's bed, leaning close to his head. "Be strong, Malfoy. One day, you'll have a 'Monster' to slay."

Ace seized Red's hand and drew her close to his side as a gasp escaped her lips. "Stain, dear, play all you want with Malfoy. Just don't break him."

Stain grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the side of the bed, hopping into it and smiling. "It'll be just like making a friend!"

Ace smiled warmly at his wonderful Stain before turning to Red. "Ready?"

"Always."

 *****ACE*****

It was as he had feared. The students and faculty of the castle were under some sort of sleeping potion. Well, most of the students. Batman had run across several students which we more than awake. He knew then this wasn't his nemesis's work. It was his apprentice. The Headmaster had bitten off more than he could chew this time.

He slipped out one of the windows on the seventh floor, then grappled over to the Headmaster's office. The use of owls made them quite susceptible to entrance from the outside. While the school had wards in place to combat various forms of magical attacks, it was too dependent upon the Muggle repellent charms to keep it safe from people like him or the Joker.

Entering the office, he found the Headmaster sound asleep at his desk and the portraits, which filled the office walls, empty. An ominous sign indeed. Batman tried several times to wake the age-d Professor, yet nothing would break the spell. Figuring the spell would wear off at daybreak, he decided to investigate. Unless Ace was nothing like his teacher, he would want an audience to behold his craft.

Batman wanted to know exactly what Ace was up to. If he was truly like the Joker, he would probably have to ask the boy himself.

 *****ACE*****

"Where are we?"

"The seventh floor."

"I know that. I mean, why?"

Ace smirked as he let go of Red's hand and slowly began to pace in front of the bare wall. After his third pass, he opened his eyes to see the door. Red's smile would have made a 'normal' person run in fear, but he found it as intoxicating as any liquor he had ever tasted.

He pushed open the door, bowing low to his queen. "After you."

He could hear Red gasp as the torches sprung to life. The room was magnificent, just as he had envisioned in his head.

"Where are we?"

"Peeves calls it the come and go room. It can become whatever room you want."

"This is what you envisioned?" breathed Red, looking about the room.

"It's all I've been wanting to do since the moment you told me your secret."

Red spun round, her eyes locking with his. "Really? I thought you said you've never –"

"I haven't," interrupted Ace. "I want you to be my first."

"You think you're ready?"

"Mr. J always told me to never fear the unknown. Sometimes you just have to leap."

He remembered the first time he leapt from the top of a building while being pursued. He had to trust in what made him the 'freak'. Eyes closed, he jumped. It was the most terrifying and exhilarating moment of his life. He let his magic surge and found himself safely four blocks away. From that moment on, he sought out the unknown, desperate to learn more.

Red walked slowly up to him. "Take my hand."

Red waved her wand and music suddenly filled the room. "We'll go slow, okay?"

Ace sighed, "I'm yours to command."

Red smiled as she pulled him into the center of the room. "Follow my lead."

With that, they were dancing. Back and forth they went. He watched her footwork and mimicked it.

"You're doing wonderful. You sure you never –"

"Time to pick up the pace," growled Ace.

"You sure?"

Ace pulled her close, whispering into her ear, "Try me."

Red waved her wand and the music changed to a livelier rag-time tune. He watched with delight as her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as he showed off some of his more impressive moves. Round and round they went, the enchanted room adapting to the mood. The torches flared as the pace increased.

Ace laughed as he swung his Red round, dipping her as she wrapped a leg about his waist. He could feel her perspiration and slapped her thigh playfully as he drew her back to him. Her enchanted eyes burned red as they bore into his, a wicked smile curving her face. The madness was consuming her. He had seen such looks before, but never directed at him.

"You said you've never danced before," breathed Red.

Ace laughed. "I said I've never danced with a girl before. Aunt Harley's a woman! Now, I know two lovely ladies who can dance and knock a man cold!"

Red threw her head back and laughed. "Will I ever understand you?"

"One day, Red," breathed Ace. "One day you'll know all my secrets."

The appearance of a little man, floating in the air and wearing a bowler hat, temporarily halted the festivities.

"Something amiss, Peeves?" asked Ace casually.

"The large bat you asked Peevsie to watch for is here at Hogwarts. He's in the Headmaster's office."

"I knew he would come!" Ace wore a greedy smile.

"How did the Muggle get in?" questioned Red, her brow furrowed.

Ace laughed. "He's no mere Muggle! He's the Batman! He always gets into places he shouldn't and his timing is always the same!"

"What should we do? Show him the ways of magic?"

"Not yet, my dear," simpered Ace, kissing her hand. "First, we play with the bat. Then, we tear off his wings! Keep an eye on him, Peeves. Let me know when he comes near. It may truly be a wicked night!"

Peeves flew off, cackling as he went.

"Now, my dear, … let's dance!"

Ace's manic elation filled the room as he and Red danced on without a care in the world. The Batman had come too late and was in too deep. Once he was done having his fun, he would welcome the Batman in style.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. Hope you enjoyed the update. No beta, so all mistakes are on me.**


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